The Heart of the Fire Dragon
by CelineFullbuster
Summary: She never even knew that he understood the meaning of the word "love". ESPECIALLY in a romantic way. But as time passes, she realizes more and more how much she truly means to him. NATSU x LUCY ...Some anti-Lisanna, and hints of Gray x Lucy ;) ...COMPLETED 3-2-13
1. A Guild's Friendship Is Forever

**Prologue**

* * *

It all happened in a flash.

So fast Lucy was barely even able to understand what was happening before it was over. A few mumbled words, a quick yank of her hair, then came all the punches and kicks that left Lucy motionless and in pain on the cold, hard ground of the dark alley.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. All she saw was the gray sky and the black clouds as rain drops began to fall. _What happened to me?_ She wondered to herself, as she stared up at the gloomy sky overhead.

_Oh yeah,_ she remembered, _it was those guys._ That group of men that had attacked her and beaten her to a pulp before she could even comprehend what was happening. Their faces were just a blur. She didn't even have enough time to think and pull out one of her gate keys.

Suddenly, Lucy sat up. She was already getting soaked from the rain, and hadn't realized how much pain it caused her just to move. Her gate keys. Did she have them?

She instinctively looked down to her side, to check if they were clipped onto her belt like they always were.

They weren't.

Lucy's heart began pounding so hard, she could feel it in her ears. Maybe it was from being attacked, but Lucy suddenly felt as though she'd been punched in the chest. Losing her gate keys could completely turn her world upside down.

She quickly got up off the soaking cement floor of the long, dark alleyway and began searching all over for her missing gate keys. Could she have dropped them? Left them at the store she'd been to just a little while ago?

No.

The people who had attacked her were the ones who stole her gate keys, she just knew it.

She looked back up into the raining sky, and screamed a terrified, resentful scream.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

The door creaked open slowly.

The entire Fairy Tail guild was just on the other side. They were all laughing, joking, fighting as usual. Team Natsu was a few feet away, sitting at a table just talking for once.

"I'm tellin' ya, she's been getting even more annoying than usual. I don't know how much longer I can take it." Gray whined.

"Suck it up and be a man." Elfman yelled as he walked past their table.

Gray just threw him an annoyed look.

"You know, if you feel that strongly about it, then you should just tell her." Erza told Gray. "Juvia needs to know something like that. If you never tell her, she'll just continue stalking you like that for the rest of your life." She says, not quite looking at Gray but at the strawberry cake she was eating.

"Juvia lliiiiikess you." Happy announces while munching on a fish, winking at Gray.

"Oh, shut up, stupid cat." Gray said, blushing furiously.

Natsu sighed. He could care less about what Gray, Erza and Happy were talking about. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment.

_Oh yeah_, he thought. _Where's Lucy? We can go on a mission together!_ He thought happily, his heart suddenly pounding a bit faster.

But none of the members of Team Natsu could have ever imagined what was behind the guild door.

As the door opened with a slight creak, no one bothered to turn around and see who it was.

A shaking, beaten up Lucy slowly limped in, her right arm tightly holding onto her left elbow which was still bleeding.

She didn't bother to look up and see where she was going. She didn't need to. She could hear Natsu's loud voice yelling "I'm bored! Let's go on a mission guys! And WHERE is Lucy?!"

Lucy's blonde hair was completely shading her eyes as she cautiously walked up to the rest of the team. Erza, who was seated facing the door, was the first to notice her.

For the first time in her life, Lucy heard Erza gasp with fear. She stood up so quickly her chair fell over backwards behind her. "_Lucy!_ What happened?!" She yelled.

As soon as she said that, everyone in the guild turned toward Lucy. They all gasp and stare at the Celestial Spirit Mage, unable to move or speak.

Natsu is the first to recover from the shock. He jumps up from his chair and runs over to her. "Lucy! Who did this to you?!" He yells, out of anger for his friend's condition and whoever it was that could have done it to her.

Lucy can barely speak. She felt as though her world was crumbling around her.

"Hey Lucy, are you alright?" Even Gray was at her side now. He had a very worried expression on his face for his poor teammate.

Suddenly, the entire guild was surrounding her. They were all talking at the same time, trying to talk to Lucy and each other about who it could have been that did it to her.

It's so loud that Lucy can barely even hear herself think.

"Everyone, BE QUIET!" Erza yells as she stomps straight through the crowd and over to Lucy. "Let her say something first." She commands, and everyone suddenly becomes silent.

Natsu being the closest one to her, he asks her in a soft, comforting voice: "Lucy, what happened?"

He suddenly notices that she's on the verge of tears. Shaking, she runs into Natsu's warm arms; wrapping her own beaten, soaking arms around his neck.

She begins crying into his shoulder. She's drenched from the outside rain, but he doesn't care.

Natsu stares down at Lucy's injuries, bloody cuts and bruises. Anger is boiling up inside him, but he puts his firing emotions to the side. He has to comfort his friend first, before he finds out who it was that beat her up and reduce them to ashes.

Natsu's arms wrap around Lucy's waist as he says, "Lucy... Who did this to you?" He asks her in a quiet voice, trying not to scare her.

She sniffles, before removing her tear-stained face from his shoulder and says, "This... This group of guys attacked me. I...I had no idea what was going on. They attacked me b-before I could even defend myself. And... they stole my gate keys while they were at it."

For a moment, no one said anything. All Lucy could hear was the pounding of the rain on the roof of the guild. She suddenly became uneasy.

She then adds, "All I heard was them say something like, 'Yes, the mark is on her hand. Get her.'" Lucy then tightened her arms around Natsu's neck out of the need to feel protected.

Gray gets closer to Lucy. "You didn't see any marks on them? Like if they were from a guild or anything?"

Lucy shakes her head, then slightly pulls away from Natsu. She keeps one arm around his neck as she uses the other hand to wipe some tears from her eyes.

Natsu suddenly removes one hand from Lucy's waist and gently grabs her face so that she looks up at him. As she does, he smiles his genuine, trade mark grin. "Don't worry Lucy. We'll find these guys and get back your gate keys, I promise."

Gray adds in, "And pay back those bastards for what they did to you!"

Happy suddenly yells, "Aye, sir!"

"_No one_ dares hurt anybody from this guild!" Erza yells, pulling out a sword and raising it to the sky.

Everyone else yells, "YEAH!" And raise their fists into the air.

Lucy can't help but smile. She breaks into a huge grin and says, "Thank you so much, everyone!"

They all cheer. Natsu, who had still been holding Lucy in his arms, pulls away slightly but holds onto Lucy's wrists, saying: "Don't you worry, Lucy. I'll do anything in my power to get revenge on those guys and get your gate keys back."

And for the first time in a long while, Natsu sees Lucy smile genuinely; eyes sparkling as she looks him straight in the eye and says, "Thanks, Natsu. I owe you one."

Her smile is so sweet it causes Natsu to blush just the tiniest bit. "Y-You don't owe me anything, Lucy. We're teammates, remember? We look out for each other."

Lucy just smiles again, causing Natsu's blush to deepen. He had no idea what to do when she smiled at him like that.

Far away, on the other side of the guild, Lisanna is watching them. She may be the only one staring at the two, but she didn't care. Everyone else was too busy trying to figure out who it was that beat up Lucy.

Lisanna watched Natsu blush as he held onto Lucy's wrists, while she grinned a sickly sweet smile at him again.

Lisanna felt her teeth clench. Her hands balled into fists, and she felt her face begin to turn red with anger. But before one of her Take Overs could force her to change into something due to her raging emotions, she stops.

She just stands there, dumbfounded. Hidden behind a pillar, she turns around, and covers her mouth in shock

_I wasn't jealous, was I? _She thinks to herself_. No, I couldn't be. I'm just worried about Lucy-san._

She looks back to Natsu and Lucy. He's carrying her bridal-style, while she turns red and begins yelling at him to put her down.

_He's probably really worried about her._

She begins to feel her heart beat faster. She presses her hand to her throbbing heart, and nods. Yes, now she understands what's happening.

Lisanna's jealous of Lucy. Why? Because she realized she's in love with Natsu. And, most likely, she knew before even he did that he might be in love with Lucy instead.


	2. The Day Love Struck Him

_**The Heart of the Fire Dragon**_

_**Chapter 2**_

* * *

"I swear, I'm not hurt that bad." Lucy complained. "Wendy, Natsu's just overreacting. You don't have to use your magic to heal me!" She whines, a pink blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Lucy. You can barely walk." Natsu argues. He has a concerned look in his eye.

"It's alright Lucy-san. It's no problem, I swear." Wendy reassured Lucy. She then begins to use her healing powers on Lucy's wounds.

"Hey Lucy, who was it that attacked you anyway? Did you get a look at anyone's face?" Carla asks Lucy, a hint of worry in her big cat eyes.

Lucy begins explaining how she had no idea who did it to her, how the attack happened so fast.

For a bit, Natsu listened to what Lucy was saying. But it was hard to bare. The anger and hatred that lay inside him for whoever it was that hurt his Lucy needed to pay. Not just for what they did to his dear friend, but for picking a fight with Fairy Tail.

He knew they must have attacked her because of the guild mark on her hand. They knew. And they still attacked. They...

Natsu took a deep breath. He couldn't handle thinking about it, or else he might explode from anger. He shook his head, trying to rid his mind of Lucy's attackers.

He looked back at Lucy, who was now asleep. She had been lying down on some pillows and blankets that Mirajane and Wendy had put down for her, in a dark room that was upstairs in the guild. Even though she was mostly healed, he knew she was still tired from what had happened to her.

Lucy was now resting peacefully, her lovely eyes shut and pretty lips slightly open, as if she was Sleeping Beauty getting ready for a sweet, awakening kiss from her Prince Charming.

Natsu squeezed his eyes shut. Just looking at Lucy sleeping like that made him want to do something... weird. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he felt like he somehow wanted to get closer to her.

But, he was already pretty damn close to her. So what could it be?

He looked at her again. Her face looked so warm and inviting, especially those lips of hers. He found himself leaning a little bit closer to her, the natural sweet scent of her only making him want to inch even closer.

He didn't notice himself leaning more into sleeping Lucy, her warmth and scent dragging him closer like some kind of magnetic force, pulling him.

After a moment, he froze. He knew what was happening. He really, _really_ wanted to kiss her. Just one quick kiss. Just...one...

"Natsu, WHAT do you think you're doing?"

Natsu felt his blood run cold.

Wendy was smiling an I-Know-What's-Going-On sort of grin, while Carla floated above her, arms crossed, staring down at Natsu like a disappointed parent. "You shouldn't be getting that close to a lady." Carla said with a stern voice. Well, stern for a cat.

Natsu's eyes went wide. Suddenly, he became painfully aware of how close his face was to Lucy's. He had never even noticed that his arm was pressed to the other side of her 'bed', that he was slightly hovering over her.

Before he could react and move himself away from the still sleeping Lucy, Lisanna walked into the room.

As she's walking in, she's saying, "Wendy! I brought some more pillows for Lucy-" She stops when she sees Natsu hovering over Lucy.

Natsu's and Lisanna's eyes lock. Her huge blue eyes are filled with hurt while his are full of surprise. "I...I'm sorry! I didn't mean to barge in like this!" She then quickly drops the pillows and runs out.

But, Wendy is the only one who notices her tears. "Lisanna, wait!' And she begins running after her.

That leaves Natsu and Carla alone in the room along with Lucy still peacefully asleep. "Now don't you try anything funny." Carla warns Natsu, who has finally pulled himself away from Lucy.

He blushes. "I-I won't!" He yells, eyes squeezed shut with shame.

Carla turns her back to him, "Hmph." And without another word, flies out of the room to find Wendy and Lisanna.

Sighing, Natsu turns back to Lucy. She looked so at peace with the world, sleeping so gracefully as if she had never been attacked this morning.

He then whispers out loud, "I _will_ get revenge for you, Lucy. Don't you worry. I'll get all your gate keys back, no problem."

Before he gets up to leave, he hears something quiet with his advanced Dragon Slayer hearing.

"Thanks, Natsu." A very soft voice says.

He quickly turns back to Lucy, who still has her eyes closed; and mumbles something else in her sleep before rotating to another position on her pillow-and-blanket bed on the floor.

Natsu feels his face warm up, and he realizes he must be blushing again.

_WHY? Why is this happening to me? It's never happened before. And why did I want to kiss my friend... my teammate? I can not ever attempt that again, no matter how beautiful she looks..._


	3. Rain and Darkness Brought Them Closer

_**Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry chapter 2 was so short. I was actually planning on making this all just a short story, but since there's been more reads than I'd expected I might make it longer :D but, that depends on the comments too... The more you guys comment, the more motivated I get! ^.^ Anyway, I decided to make this chapter a lot longer than chapter 2 'cause I felt bad _ Much thanks to all the people who reviewed. YAY! (= I hope you enjoy, this is for you.**_

* * *

Gray slammed his fist against the table. "It has to be them. There's no one else it could be!" He yelled angrily.

Erza crossed her arms and looked down. "Actually, there _is_ a chance it could have been them. They might be trying to take down members of Fairy Tail who aren't surrounded by other guild members." She explained thoughtfully.

"Like, if there's one of us alone, they'll try to attack us?" Gray asks.

Erza nodded, taking a sip of her drink. "Yes, because those cowards probably think it would be easier that way."

Gray shakes his head in frustration. "They're going to pay for hurting Lucy. They're stupid if they think they can get away with this."

Erza just nods.

Under the table Erza and Gray are sitting at, Juvia is listening carefully. They obviously don't know she's down there.

_Could Gray-sama be in love with Lucy?_ Juvia thought. _Why is he so worried about her? But, isn't Lucy one of Gray-sama's teammates? That must be it, no?_

Gray sighs. "Hey, is Lucy alright anyway? Wendy healed her right?" He looks down at the table, worry in his eyes. "I really hope she's okay."

Erza gives him a reassuring look. "Of course she's fine. Wendy's healing magic is the real deal."

Then, they hear a soft voice. "I-I'm terribly sorry, but... I don't know if that's true anymore."

They turn and see Wendy standing near their table, her voice dripping with shame. She couldn't even look them in the eyes.

"Wendy, you-" Gray slowly begins.

"-What was that, Wendy?" Natsu's stern voice quickly cuts off Gray's.

Wendy immediately looks up and sees Natsu, his features twisted and wicked as he looked down at the poor girl, who was on the verge of tears.

He didn't mean to scare Wendy. He was just really worried about what he had just heard her say.

"Natsu-san!" She shrieked, her eyes wide with horror. "I-I am so sorry!" She cries, then runs behind Erza's chair.

Erza sighs. "Natsu." She says sternly, eyes locked on the hate-filled Dragon Slayer.

He attempts to calm down, the firing aura surrounding him burning down to embers.

"Now, Wendy... What did you say? Something about your magic?" Gray asks her, who was still behind Erza's chair.

Wendy peeks out. "I-... Well, um...-"

"-Her magic has been malfunctioning." Carla suddenly appears, flying right over to Wendy. "She can't help it. It's from using it too much, for too long on a daily basis." She explains, then turns to face Wendy. "I _told_ you not to over abuse your healing powers. But did you listen? No!" Carla says, frustrated. She puts a fluffy white paw over her face.

Wendy's face tears up some more. "Carla, I'm so sorry..."

"Aw, come on, Carla. Don't be so harsh on Wendy." Happy suddenly appears, now flying close to Carla.

"She was only trying to help out the other guild members. And that's not a reason to be sorry. That's one of the things that makes you a Fairy Tail wizard, Wendy." Makarov says.

"Master!" Everyone says in surprise. They had no idea he was even there or that he was listening.

Makarov looked down in frustration. "I knew your magic wasn't working as well, but I still hoped you could heal Lucy's injuries more quickly. But it seems her recovery is going to take much longer than expected." He explained.

Everyone's eyes went wide, even Juvia's who was still beneath the table Erza and Gray were sitting at.

Of course, Natsu was the first to speak up. "Wow, hold it, Gramps. What do you mean, it's gonna take much longer? How much longer we talking?!" He asks, his voice getting louder with each word.

"And is she going to be alright? What's going to happen to her?!" Gray asks, his voice getting more angry; like Natsu's did.

"Is Lucy gonna die?!" Happy screeches, his huge eyes even bigger with worry.

Suddenly, the room explodes with a noise so loud everyone's ears could have blown off.

Natsu's roar.

He had so much anger bottled up inside him, he couldn't hold it in anymore. So he let out what started as a growl which turned into a roar, just like a dragon's. Just like Igneel's.

No one said anything for a moment. Then, Makarov says, "Don't you worry, Natsu. Everyone. Lucy is going to be just fine. She needs only a few days of rest, that is all." He explains to them.

Everyone sighs with relief. So long as Lucy was going to be okay, they were happy.

"But..." Makarov adds. "Someone must take Lucy back to her apartment and watch over her during her recovery. She needs somebody that will take good care of her."

Erza and Levy are about to say something when they hear a voice coming from behind the crowd surrounding Makarov.

"I'll do it." Natsu said sternly, determined not to let anyone else protect his Lucy.

Everyone in the crowd turned to him.

Lisanna's ears perk up. Did she hear what she just thought she heard?

Suddenly, a laughter erupted from somewhere in the crowd. Everyone turns from Natsu to where the noise came from.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me. You, flame brain? Heh, you can barely take care of _yourself_." Gray smirked, arms crossed and eyeing down Natsu.

"What did you say, stripper?" Natsu snarled, preparing to lunge at Gray.

"_Enough_. I don't need you two fighting here and now. We have bigger problems at the moment." Makarov announces.

"Bigger problems?" Happy questions.

"Yes. Whoever it could have been that attacked Lucy may not just be targeting her. It could be the whole guild. And I will not stand to see another one of my children get hurt." Makarov says with a stern voice.

"Agreed, and neither will I. We must find out who did it at once." Macao joins in.

Suddenly, much to Makarov's and Macao's surprise, everyone is cheering. They all decided to go out in a full-on war if needed.

_But they are just forgetting about one thing..._ Natsu thought.

"Wait, what about Lucy?" Gray asked, beating Natsu to the question. Juvia, who was now beside Gray, flinched at the sound of Lucy's name.

"Ah, yes. Who will be taking care of Lucy?" Makarov asked the crowd.

Lisanna, who was watching from upstairs with Elfman, automatically looked down towards Natsu.

He suddenly piped up. "Me!" He yelled.

Lisanna squeezed her eyes shut. _Of course_, she thought. _That boy is just too sweet to let a close friend of his like Lucy-san be injured and not help her out._ But, why did she feel as though she didn't want him to help Lucy?

She suddenly flinched. _Of course I want Natsu to help Lucy-san!_ She thought to herself. She would want anyone to help Lucy. _In fact, maybe I should be the one to stay with her..._

She knew it would be the right thing to do. Plus, she felt bad for feeling jealous of Lucy because of Natsu. _If he really does love Lucy-san, then there's nothing I can do but be supportive...right?_ She wondered.

It didn't help, though, that her brother was standing right next to her cheering Natsu on.

"That's being a man, Natsu! Go help your girl! Don't listen to what people say to you!" Elfman yelled from the top floor.

Lisanna smiled weakly. _Guess I won't be the one aiding Lucy-san after all, _she thought.

"It's _gotta_ be me. I'm her teammate. She's my best friend. It should be me who watches over her." Natsu exclaims.

"But, I'm also her teammate, and she's also my friend. I'm also _female._ So I'm really the one who should take care of Lucy." Erza pointed out.

Makarov nods. "Yes, Erza has a point. Lucy is in pretty bad condition, and she will need assistance with even the smallest things; such as showering and changing..." He explains.

Question marks danced all over Natsu's head. "So...?"

Everyone in the guild sweatdropped.

Gray laughs. "You dense idiot. Why don't you actually give it a try? I'd really like to see you take care of an injured _girl_." Gray says, still chuckling.

"Oh yeah? Just you wait. In no time Lucy will be back here, one hundred percent healthy and it will be mostly 'cause of me." Natsu announced with a sly grin. He then leaned into Gray's face. "You'll see, ice brain." He hissed.

Gray just backed away from Natsu's face. He saw a look of determination in his rival's eyes that somehow, kind of... Creeped him out.

"Alright, whatever. You are all my children and I respect your decisions. Natsu, you'll be escorting Lucy to her apartment and watching over her until the day she gets better." Makarov announces.

Erza looks at Natsu. "Fine, do what you want. But, _please,_ if you need my assistance, don't hesitate to call me." She tells Natsu, her voice gravely serious as she looked at him with steely cold eyes that pierced through his.

Natsu is suddenly shaking with fear. "A-Aye!" He says out of habit.

"So, that's settled. Now, I need some of you to research the other guilds in Fiore and see if any of them have a matter they wish to settle with us. Preferably dark guilds. And if there is, notify me immediately; because they might be trying to tell us something..." Makarov announced.

Everyone nodded. And, one by one, everybody in the guild went their own way. Team Shadow Gear, Erza, Gray, and Gajeel went to the library; while Wendy, Carla, Happy, Mira and Lisanna to the guild's history room. Everyone else continued with either finding jobs or getting ready for one.

* * *

Natsu slowly opens the door just the slightest bit.

Immediately it creaks loudly.

He cringes. Every centimeter he opens the door, it creaks even louder. Finally, he sighs, and just opens the door as fast as he can to minimize the amount of creaking.

It swings open soundlessly, but due to the amount of strength he put into it, the door bangs against the wall and makes a loud crashing sound.

Natsu flinched. He then quickly looked over to Lucy, who was still asleep on the floor. She stirred, but didn't completely awaken.

Natsu sighed in relief. He walked over to her "bed" which was really nothing but blankets and pillows that Mira and Wendy had laid down for her before Wendy had begun to heal her.

Or, Natsu thought, when Wendy _thought_ she had begun to heal her.

He couldn't help but be worried for Lucy, and now Wendy, too. But he knew since Wendy was a Sky Dragon Slayer, her powers were going to come back... they just _had_ to.

Once Natsu approached Lucy, his heart began to flutter.

He suddenly stopped moving, and his hand flew to his heart. It was pounding harder and faster than he had ever felt it before. _Why do I feel like this...?_ He wondered as he glanced down at sleeping Lucy.

She changed positions in her sleep so she was laying on her back, with her hands resting on her stomach.

As Natsu bent down to pick her up, he got an odd, tingling sensation in his stomach. And somehow, a short phrase he had heard before but never understood, came to his mind.

_Butterflies._

He chuckled. It was weird, but now he knew what people meant when they said they felt as though they had butterflies in their stomach.

_But... why did I get them just now?_

He sighed. There had been a number of things that had been happening to him lately whenever he was around Lucy that he didn't understand.

Suddenly, Natsu thought back to when Lucy had first limped into the guild that morning, shaking, soaking wet from the rain and beaten senseless. She had a broken leg, fractured ribs, cuts and bruises all over her.

He could never stand to think about his partner hurt like that. But, the thing that made him recall of that painful morning, was when Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder.

Natsu had felt the same heart-fluttering, butterfly-feeling he did now. It almost felt like..._adoration_...for _Lucy_. But, why?

_Why, why, why?_ He was so dense about his own feelings that they frustrated him to no end. He became so annoyed with his confusing emotions that he decided to push them to the side for now and not think about them. Because, honestly-

"Why do they matter?" Natsu didn't even realize that he whispered the words he had been thinking in his head, out loud and clear.

He placed one arm under Lucy's soft neck and the other beneath her knees, and slowly stood up.

He planned to carry her bridal-style all the way back to her apartment. That way, hopefully, he could get her back to her own bed and not wake her up along the way.

But, as soon as he stood up, he could feel her begin to move.

Oh no.

She slowly blinked open her big brown eyes, and let her eyes begin to adjust right on Natsu's face. "N-Natsu..." She began, but was too tired to continue.

"Shh. It's okay, I got you Lucy. We're going back to your house." He quickly whispered, softly so that she wouldn't awaken completely.

Her pretty eyes slowly began to flutter closed. She was still very sleepy. "Thank...you..." She mumbled quietly before drifting off to sleep again in his arms.

He just smiled down at his cute friend.

_Wait, that's it..._

She's cute. Very much so. Was that why he had been feeling so weird lately? Because he just now realized he thought Lucy was actually kind of... Cute?

_Hmm. Maybe. But, oh well... That must be it. There's nothing wrong about thinking a girl is cute, right? It doesn't... mean anything. And it doesn't change anything, either. Right...?_

Natsu growled with frustration as Lucy shifted a bit and hugged him closer, in an attempt to either get more comfortable or soak in more of the warm heat that was radiating from his body.

He just stood there, Lucy in his arms, while deep in thought.

_Of COURSE it doesn't mean anything...RIGHT?_ He couldn't help but doubt his own thoughts, argue with himself. Something just didn't_ feel_ right...

Then he snapped back into reality. What was he doing, just standing there thinking? That wasn't like him at all, normally charging at things head-on.

He started walking out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the guild; paying no attention to the giggles of the other (_rather immature_) members watching them and pointing at "the newly wed couple", or so they liked to call.

As Natsu was walking down the streets of Magnolia towards Lucy's apartment, he began to notice everyone was talking about the same sort of things.

Robberies. Murders. Other guilds going down.

As he was walking, he began to feel a bit troubled. The people who were doing those things... Could they be the same ones that had attacked Lucy?

Once he was almost to Lucy's place, he couldn't help but stop and listen to one of the conversations.

"Yeah, it's all bad, man. I heard there was a rampage at the train station, and they took hostages, too. Apparently they were looking for someone." The man told another.

"Yeah, weren't they those element wizards? The guys that people assume were the same ones that robbed that bank a couple weeks back?" The other man responded.

Natsu's ears perked up. _Element wizards?_

"Yeah, pretty sure. Those guys must really have a bone to pick with Magnolia, 'cause they been robbin' everywhere and blowin' up places just to find someone. Heard they also almost demolished the Cardia Cathedral just 'cause they thought the person they were looking for was in there."

_Looking for someone...?_

"Well, I just hope someone stops them soon. Maybe one of 'em Fairy Tail wizards. Prove 'em useful for once instead of just a bunch of drunks who either sit around all day or destroy stuff."

Natsu felt his teeth clench with anger.

"I know. Did you hear that Salamander guy blew up like six houses on his last mission? What a joke."

Natsu felt like he was going to explode. First, THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT. Second, the team had managed to stop a bunch of octopus-like monsters from invading a town. At least no one died on that mission.

And if Natsu didn't happen to have Lucy asleep in his arms, he just _knew_ he would have beaten the crap out of those guys... just for insulting Fairy Tail.

Attempting to control his anger, Natsu walked as fast as he could to get away from those two idiot men and not wake up Lucy at the same time.

Once he got inside her apartment, it began to rain. _Good thing I got here just in time,_ Natsu thought as he walked up to her bed and carefully laid her down.

Once she was surrounded by blankets and seemed to be resting peacefully, Natsu glanced around her house.

"So... what now?" He wondered out loud. He then looked at Lucy, who was still sound asleep.

The rain began to pour harder, and you could hear the drops pounding on the roof.

_Hmmm..._ He thought as he glanced around the room again. He could go looking through her things again... But, she got pretty mad the last time she caught him doing that. Or... he could check out that novel she's been writing. He wasn't big on reading, but it could help pass the time...

He sighed and grabbed a chair from her desk and just plopped down next to Lucy's bed. He wasn't going to do things she'd get mad at him for, because she probably didn't even have the strength to yell at him anyway... Which was half the fun.

Natsu chuckled to himself. He used to think Lucy looked weird when she yelled at him, and he found it kind of funny. But, now that he thought about it, _weird_ didn't really seem like the right word. _Cute_ was more like it. Just in the past he never quite knew the correct word to describe Lucy, other than nice. There was that certain way she acted, the way only _she_ acted, that he liked. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, that word. What was it? Maybe it was just "weird".

She was weird, funny and nice.

But now he knew the right word wasn't _weird_, it was most definitely "cute". He had finally learned the meaning of that word, and now he understood why there was just something about Lucy that was different, that was... cute.

Lucy was just a cute, funny, nice girl.

Yes, much better. Those were definitely the right words.

Natsu felt himself smile. So maybe... he happened to think Lucy was cute when she was mad. But, she was cute all the time. It was just especially entertaining when she was yelling at him, lips in an adorable pout, eyes narrowed as she glared at him with her pretty brown eyes.

Thinking back about all the times Lucy hit him for breaking into her house, Natsu couldn't help but let out a laugh.

He quickly covered it, though, because Lucy was now beginning to move.

Natsu stayed silent for a moment, watching Lucy. This time, it seemed like she was waking up for good.

She slowly raised her arms over her head, yawning.

"Morning, sleepy head." Natsu told her.

She looked at him and smiled weakly. Then, glanced around and noticed she was back in her own bedroom. "Natsu, when...How-"

"-I brought you back from the guild. Gramps decided someone should watch over you while you get your rest for a couple days. Ya know, to make sure you're okay."

Lucy smiled again. "That's so sweet. And... _you_ will be taking care of me?" She asks with curious eyes.

Natsu feels his eyes widen. "Yeah, of course. What's so weird about that? Nothing. So, what's the big deal?" He asks quickly, looking down at the carpet stubbornly.

Lucy laughs gently. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. So, no need to get all worked up about it... I'm glad you're here with me." She says, making Natsu look back up to her.

"You... You are?" He asks curiously.

She grins. "Of course. I think it's cute."

Natsu cringed at her last word.

Lucy suddenly stops grinning and looks at Natsu, worry in her chocolate eyes. "Hey, Natsu... Are you alright? Your cheeks got a bit pink all of a sudden." She said, leaning a bit from her bed to examine his face.

He immediately looks away. "It's nothing." He mumbles quickly.

"Oh, alright..." She trails off. Lucy then looks out her window. "You know... It was raining like this when I woke up in that dark alleyway. The day had been bright and sunny when I left my apartment, and after I woke up from being unconscious..." She sighed. "It was like this."

Natsu peered out the window, the rain leaving streaks of water as they fell on the glass.

Then suddenly, harsh winds combined with the rain. It was pouring so hard now that the pounding on the roof from it was going to give them both headaches.

"Hey, actually... It wasn't _this_ bad. It was-" Lucy stopped when the room went dark.

After a moment of silence, Natsu spoke up. "I see. The rain was pretty bad when you woke up, but it wasn't bad enough to make the power go out like now..."

Natsu didn't hear a response. So he turned away from the window and back to Lucy.

She was shivering in a little ball beneath her blankets, teeth chattering as she reached for more blankets.

"Lucy..." Natsu began.

"Th-The heater turned off along with the rest of the p-power. I'm f-f-_freezing!" _She exclaimed, her voice sounding muffled from beneath all the blankets.

"Is that so..." Natsu looked around. He'd had no idea that a heater was even on in the first place.

"S-So cold..." Lucy's teeth chattered some more. The wind blew even louder against the apartment, making Natsu flinch. The rain pounding against the roof didn't help either.

He suddenly turned back to Lucy, "Well. I'm pretty much stuck here now, aren't I?" He laughed.

"I-Idiot..." Lucy began, her voice still muffled.

Natsu walked over to Lucy. And, much to her surprise, yanked the covers off of her.

"Hey! What d-do you think you're _doing_?!" She yelled, grabbing them back.

Natsu had a playful expression on his face. "Aww, come on, Lucy. You can't be _that_ cold. It's not like we're on Mount Hakobe in the snowing mountains like we were on our first mission together." He told her, standing over her bed and watching her shiver.

It wasn't until she pulled her head from beneath a pillow and looked straight at him that he knew she wasn't just overreacting.

She was definitely freezing.

The dead-serious expression on her face explained it all. Her eyes pleaded to be taken seriously, and were moist with tears. She was so scared that her mouth was quivering, teeth clenched; her eyebrows knit together with worry for her life.

Natsu's eyes widened and he suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Of _course_ she was freezing! She was still recovering from being _attacked_, it was pouring rain outside, there was no heater on, and it's not like he could feel cold himself.

Natsu suddenly felt nervous. He knew there was something he could do...

But there was just a certain something that was holding him back.

_Okay... So what if Lucy looks all cute and vulnerable like that? It's not a reason to not help her out. But, why do I feel like if I do THAT... Something will change...? Why do I feel like something weird will happen... _He narrowed his eyes, angry that he couldn't figure out how he was truly feeling.

_There I go again, using that word "weird" when I don't know which one I should really use..._ He thought, suddenly wanting to punch himself.

He then snaps out of his angry, thought-filled trance when he hears Lucy whimper from the cold.

He knew what he had to do. There was no question about it. What was he doing, standing there thinking like an _idiot_, pondering whether he should do it or not? It was for his teammate, his friend...

But, as Natsu crawled into Lucy's bed, he couldn't help but think... _Exactly. Lucy is my teammate, my friend. Nothing would ever change between us._

"N-Natsu...?" Lucy whimpers as she instantly feels the warmth of his body next to hers.

"Shhh." He says, laying down next to her.

Natsu knew that he had to stay very, _very_ close to Lucy to keep her alive. So he pulled her closer to him, laying on his side so his face was only inches away from her's.

He puts a warm arm over Lucy's, while putting his other beneath her neck as she laid facing him. "Better?" Natsu mumbled quietly.

At first, he got no response.

Natsu examines Lucy's face, which is close enough to feel her cold breath on his lips. It seems a little bit of color has returned to her cheeks, and her teeth aren't chattering anymore.

Apparently Lucy was a little _too_ grateful for the heat source, because as soon as she realized what he was doing, she clung to him. And held on _tight._

At the sudden actions, Natsu felt his cheeks burn at the intimacy he was sharing with his beautiful partner.

To keep his mind off of the fact that their entire upper bodies were pressing against each other, he attempted to start a conversation. "So... How's it goin'?" He asked, now realizing how bad he was at small talk.

Lucy just mumbled, "So warm..." And began moving her lower body so it was even closer to Natsu's.

"Hey, w-what are you doing..." He began nervously, then felt his face singe even more with a deep blush as he felt Lucy's cold, smooth leg move over and rest on top of his warm one.

She then clings even more to him, soaking up the heat like a drug.

Natsu sighs. "Here, if you're really cold, take this." He said, moving one arm from atop Lucy's to unwrap the white scarf around his neck.

Lucy took it immediately and cuddled it. "It's so warm too. Thanks..." She said, sounding like she was going to fall asleep again.

Natsu just nodded. "That's what partners do..." He slowly mumbled, glancing at the rain-drenched window.

But he wasn't prepared for what Lucy was about to do next. She completely forgot about his scarf, and nuzzled her face affectionately into his bare neck.

With Lucy so close to him, he couldn't help but take in her naturally sweet scent. "You always smell so good." He blurted out by accident. He didn't mean to say what he was thinking.

Lucy lifted her head from his neck and faced him, their heads sharing the same pillow. "Oh, really..." She responded quietly. She gently cupped her hand around Natsu's warm, adorable face.

Natsu nodded slowly, unable to meet her eyes. He had thought she was falling asleep.

"Hey, um... Natsu?" Lucy began, staring down at the pattern of their pillow instead of looking at him, a blush beginning to appear on her cheeks.

"Hmmm?" He answers, studying her face.

"Have you ever... Liked anyone before?" She asked softly, then looks back to him.

He's so surprised by her question that he doesn't say anything at first.

"I mean, um, you know... Well, I was just curious. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to." She looks down shamefully.

"No, it's okay. I haven't really ever liked anyone before, not in _that_ way..." He mumbles, unable to meet her eyes.

At that moment, Natsu could have sworn he felt Lucy breathe out a sigh of relief. _Nah, must have been my imagination..._

"So... I'm guessing you've never kissed anyone either?" Lucy suddenly blurts out.

"Well... no." Natsu answers slowly.

She doesn't say anything for a moment. Then, Natsu surprises Lucy with a question of his own. "Have _you_ ever kissed someone?"

Lucy's eyes go wide for a moment. "Well, um... No, I haven't had my first kiss yet."

_What would a kiss even feel like?_ Natsu wondered. _What could be so great about it...?_

He suddenly remembered earlier when Lucy was still asleep in the guild, he had gotten this overwhelmingly strong urge to get closer to her. He also distinctively remembered wanting to give her a quick kiss as she continued sleeping peacefully. She had just looked so cute and perfect, he couldn't help it...

Then Carla had interrupted it, which made Natsu cringe at the memory. _What was I thinking? Lucy is my partner, my teammate..._

He suddenly looked at Lucy. She was watching his thoughtful face. "What?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing. You just looked like you were thinking about something."

Natsu didn't say anything, and neither did Lucy for a little bit. The rain still pounded against the roof and window, but they still were lying down in comfortable silence; thinking their own thoughts. It was also still pretty dark in the room, but their eyes had already adjusted to the darkness.

Lucy's face was so cute. Maybe kissing wasn't as stupid as Natsu had previously thought...

He suddenly broke the silence. "So, Lucy... What do you think it would_ be_ like to kiss someone?" He asked curiously.

Lucy seemed surprised by the question. "Well, umm... I don't know. Sweet and romantic, I guess..." She said thoughtfully. And then, in a moment of pure bravery, she forced herself to look into Natsu's dark eyes and say, "Would you... like to try it?"

Natsu's head was spinning. What was going on? What was he saying, and what was he thinking? He was laying down in Lucy's bed, holding her close in his arms... While curious to know what it would be like to kiss her.

Maybe, just maybe, he could try it... Just this once...

He wasn't thinking clearly as he leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek.

Lucy looked confused for a moment, she was kinda expecting something a little different. Then she chuckled. Of course, this was _Natsu_ she was dealing with.

At the sight of Lucy's smile, Natsu gently grabbed her face. He tilted it so her mouth was aimed perfectly at his lips.

_Yeah, maybe kissing Lucy wasn't such a bad idea.._. He thought as he slowly pulled her lips to his.

Their eyes began to close, and right when their warm lips were about to meet, they heard a _poof._

And there, standing right above the bed, was none other than Leo the Lion.

Natsu was so surprised that he pulled away from Lucy so fast his eyes were still closed, flailing his arms all over the place; trying to untangle them from Lucy's body which caused him to fall off the bed with a loud _THUNK._

"Loke!" Lucy yells, also surprised to see the celestial spirit.

"Hello my princess. Your knight in shining armor is here to protect you from that dreadful, fire-breathing dragon." The playboy says to Lucy with a soft smile, his voice as smooth as could be.

Before Lucy could respond, Loke turned to Natsu; who was still on the floor. "Ya finally put the moves on my Lucy, huh Natsu? Too bad you couldn't have been any more graceful." He teased, a grin on his handsome face.

"Why, you little-" Natsu's about to lunge and attack Loke when Lucy suddenly jumps up out of her bed.

_Hey... Since when can she even WALK?! _Natsu thought as he watched, stunned, as _his_ Lucy runs the short distance up to Loke and, get this, HUGS him.

"Loke, I'm so glad you're okay! Where are all the other spirits? Are they okay too? _Who has my gate keys?!" _She rambles quickly, so many questions popping into her head all at once.

Loke makes a big show in front of Natsu of pulling Lucy even closer to him and hugging her tighter. "Of course they're okay." He purrs, glancing over Lucy's shoulder at Natsu and smirking at him.

Natsu growls, glaring back at him with dark eyes that threatened a death wish.

"But, I don't understand... How could you be here when I don't even have my keys? Someone stole them from me and I-" Lucy began, pulling away from Loke.

"-Lucy. It's alright. I know about everything that happened." He said, adjusting his blue glasses.

"But Loke... How could you come here when I don't even have your key? How did you appear in the right place?" She questioned.

Loke grins again. "Let's just say the power of our love was strong enough to overcome that obstacle." He says, putting an arm over her shoulder.

"Hey man, could you be _serious_ for once?" Natsu asks, annoyance laced in his voice.

Lucy glances at Natsu, who's got his arms crossed and his back slightly to them. She suddenly blushes, remembering what was about to happen between them before Loke popped in.

Loke sighs and removes his sunglasses. "I came here to tell you guys what I know about the people who stole your gate keys." He told Lucy, his voice stern.

At this, Natsu suddenly turns around and faces Loke. "You mean you know who it was that beat up Lucy?" He asked, determination in his voice.

Loke nods. "They've been in Magnolia for a while now, searching for Lucy all over the place." He explains to Natsu.

"They've been looking for _me_? Why?" Lucy asked, scared to know the answer.

"Wait, so... They're not targeting the whole guild?" Natsu asked, just to make sure.

"No, they're not planning on attacking anyone else from Fairy Tail. They just needed Lucy's gate keys." He said, looking troubled.

"But why? No one but the person contracted with the spirits can use them. So aren't they pretty much worthless to them...?" Lucy wondered out loud.

"Yeah, I thought they only stole your keys so you couldn't fight back." Natsu said, eyebrows knit with confusion.

"Me too." Lucy agreed.

They both looked at Loke when he chuckled quietly. "I know. Trust me, she's not very smart."

"Who?" Natsu asked quickly.

Loke suddenly turned dead serious. His voice was cold and emotionless as he said, "Artemis."

"A-Artemis? Who's that?" Lucy asked, her heart suddenly beating faster.

"It wasn't her that attacked you though. It was those stupid minions of hers." Loke said, almost looking angry. "They're from Edolas."

Natsu's eyes widened. "EDOLAS? Really? How did they even _get _here?!" He questioned, his voice getting louder.

"And why did they come here? Just to steal my keys that they can't do anything with?" Lucy asked, becoming more angry with every passing minute. Why would they come_ all_ the way to _an entirely different world_ just to steal some pretty much worthless gate keys?

"Yup, that's why." Loke answered. He couldn't help but grin.

"Listen, cat. You better start making sense!" Natsu growled, grabbing Loke by his suit.

"_Lion_. And, I'm making perfect sense." He countered.

Natsu's grip loosened.

"_You_ listen, Natsu. The Humans and Exceeds aren't the only races living in Edolas. Unlike Earthland, there's also the Demons." Loke explained.

Lucy gasps. "D-_Demons_?"

Natsu lets go of Loke's jacket. "I had no idea... But, what's this have to do with the gate keys?" He asks.

Loke smoothed out his dark suit. "It's the Demon King. His time will be up in only a matter of a few years, so he needs someone to take over the Demon country for him. He has six kids who will all be possible candidates, so he's going to hold a tournament between them and a few other possible heirs." Loke shakes his head, then sits down in Lucy's desk chair. "But, they have to be skilled in two different kinds of magic. And the Demon King's youngest daughter, Artemis, has only mastered one; Moon Magic." He explains while staring down at the carpet, his elbow resting on his knee with his fist holding up his face.

"Moon Magic? What's that?" Lucy asks suddenly.

"Shh." Natsu shushes her then looks back to Loke.

Loke grins. "Well... Artemis, you could say she's kinda young and stupid. She decided to learn Stellar Spirit Magic, but didn't know a whole lot about it. She just knew of the 12 Golden Keys of the Zodiac, and how strong we are. She also found out about a girl named Lucy Heartfilia down in Earthland who had ten out of the twelve of them, so..."

"So she decided to steal them from me." Lucy finished for him, so shocked from the news that she was almost in a daze.

Loke nodded solemnly.

Lucy turned her back to Loke and Natsu, so they wouldn't see her tears.

She just couldn't believe that some idiot Demon princess had blindly stolen her gate keys when she knew barely anything about them. Just the thought of never seeing any of her celestial spirits ever again made Lucy tear up.

She was about to start crying when she felt two warm hands on both of her shoulders.

She turned to see Natsu's hand on her left shoulder and Loke's on her right. When they both realized they had unknowingly done the same comforting action to their friend, they just glared at each other.

Natsu broke the evil staring contest and looked back at Lucy. "Hey, don't you cry. That princess is still here, right? I'll find her and bring back your keys, I promise." Natsu told her, looking just as determined as his voice sounded.

Loke sighed. "I hate to admit it, but Natsu's right. We'll get back all your spirits, my darling. Promise." He assured Lucy, who was now wiping her tears.

"Y-You will?" She asked, facing them.

"Duh, of course! I've been telling you that since you first came back to the guild, right after... You know." Natsu exclaimed.

"But the hard part won't be finding Artemis. It'll be getting past her three guards." Loke told Natsu, while putting his sunglasses back on.

"There's only _three_ guys to get past? Pfft, you've gotta be kidding me. If you already know where they are then this should be no problem!" Natsu yelled, grinning. "I'm all fired-"

Loke suddenly grabbed Natsu by his shoulders. "Listen to me, dragon boy. These guys aren't your average, every-day guards. One of them is a Dragon Slayer, just like you. And, not to be rude or anything, but he's probably more powerful than you too. _And_, he's not even the strongest of the three. There's also a _Demon Slayer, _you hear me? Just like Zancrow from Grimoire Heart, only _Demon_, and STRONGER!" Loke yelled, letting go of Natsu's shoulders and pushing him back.

Lucy gasped as Natsu fell back, crashing into her desk (which was a good six feet away) and falling to the ground. She instantly rushed over to him and knelt down beside him, checking his body for any injuries. "Natsu, are you alright?" She asked, when he slowly began to get up.

Loke stared at Natsu, who was staring down at the floor. Lucy began to feel the air grow thick with tension.

"You... r_eally_ think that's gonna scare me?" Natsu asked quietly, still looking down while his rosy pink hair hung over his eyes.

Lucy instantly looked back over to Loke.

He didn't say anything. Just stared at Natsu.

Lucy couldn't have felt more uncomfortable, until she heard the laugh. A loud, guffaw-type laugh that was very Natsu-like.

He suddenly burst into laughter. "A _Demon_ Slayer? Now, I've got to see this. And another Dragon Slayer? That's awesome, I can prove my skills. Which kind is he anyway?" Natsu asked once his laughter died down.

Loke wasn't amused. "Wind."

Natsu stopped grinning.

Lucy gasped again.

"Now, listen. I'm not childish enough to think that I can beat up anyone I want. I happen to know that these guys are probably a bit stronger than me, and stonger than you too, Natsu. But I won't let that stop me from trying. _So_, you still with me, dragon boy?" Loke asked, grinning now and reaching his hand out to Natsu.

For a brief second, Natsu didn't do anything. But then, he smiled his huge trademark grin and extended his arm out towards Loke's, shaking hands once. "Of course I'm still with ya, kitty cat. I'm doing this for Lucy."

Lucy just smiled at the sight of her two close friends making peace with each other.

_Wait, what was it that they were so mad at each other for anyway?_ Lucy had barely ever seen them talk before Loke became her celestial spirit, and she didn't expect them to have been rivals. _Could it be, that maybe, just MAYBE..._

"Wait a sec, how did ya know all this anyway?" Natsu asked Loke suspiciously as he pulled his hand away.

"I can sense what's going on in this world even when I'm in the Spirit World. Sort of like a sixth sense. And when something is particularly important, I pick up on it pretty fast." Loke explained, almost looking hurt at the fact that Natsu had doubted him.

Natsu just nodded, mouthing the word 'oh'.

"But then again..." Loke began, letting the words slip from his mouth. He started staring at the ground. "Artemis. My beautiful Artemis. She was my first real love."


	4. Enter Artemis, the Demon Princess

**_Author's Note: Hey everyone! Celine Fullbuster here(: Thanks so much for the reads. I was also hoping if you guys could review/comment after reading this? It just motivates me to write more & I'll love you forever! xD Oh yeah, the magics I threw in, 'Moon Magic, Sun Magic, & Demon Slayer' they're not from Fairy Tail, I entirely made 'em up. HAA. (Well a lot is made up now) The new characters that are introduced in this chapter too, I made them pretty different from each other so hopefully you could pick a favorite ;) LOL anyway I'll stop talking now & hope you enjoy the story! =D_**

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The room was tense, silent.

The dark castle was so quiet that you could even hear a pin drop. All four of the powerful wizards could suddenly feel the tension in the air.

But the silence was broken as a loud, high-pitched laughter erupted from one of the mages. "Are you _serious_?!" He yelled, a grin still on his face.

Two of the other wizards cringed at the deafening sound of the worthless golden gate keys slamming against the stone castle wall. It cracked the material, but still left the golden keys all in one piece.

"Ugh! Why didn't one of you idiots _tell_ me?!" The blue-haired mage wailed.

"Artemis, don't you think that if we'd known, we would have just told you rather than coming all the way out here just to search for those stupid keys?" The boy with deep red eyes and shaggy, shiny jet-black hair pointed out.

"Yeah! We're not as dumb as _you_, Artemis." The young wizard who'd busted out laughing earlier explained, pointing an accusing finger at the Moon Magic mage.

Artemis simply used her Moonlight Rays to shoot a powerful, glittering bluish-purple beam at her disrespectful servant. "Shut up, Kota. You shouldn't be the one to talk. At least I _can_ use two different types of magic." She said defiantly as the boy with silver hair and eyes called Kota crashed against the castle wall.

Artemis crossed her arms and let out a satisfied "Hmph." She then looked away from her young minion.

Kota got up and rubbed his white-skinned hand over his shining silver hair. "Oww. What was that for?" He whined, squeezing his rivaling shiny-silver eyes shut with pain.

"One. For being mean. Two, for teasing me. And three, because you're stupid." Artemis said matter-of-factly.

The youngest mage in the room, Darrion, began giggling. "You're so funny, Artemis." He said with a grin. His normally liquid gold eyes suddenly turned into hearts as he gazed up at Artemis.

The older girl ignored his comment.

"For being mean? Really? You're the one who tortures us!" Kota whined. He walked over and stood close to Artemis, only minor scratches on his arms and face.

"Because you're stupid." Artemis says with a sweet smile.

Kota grinned. "Not as much as you, babe." He then brushed his shining silver hair away from his equally silver eyes and winked.

Artemis punched his arm in response.

Kota winced. "Ouch. Again." He said, grabbing onto his arm where he'd probably be getting a bruise.

Artemis just crossed her pale arms again and scowled.

"Kiss it and make it better?" Kota said with a half-smile when he saw Artemis's frown, leaning closely into her pretty face.

"That's enough, Kota." Skylar, the red-eyed and black-haired mage, commanded as he walked up to Kota and Artemis.

Kota immediately turned to his long time best friend/eternal rival. "Why? You jealous?" He said with an evil smirk.

Skylar's normally calm and serious eyes suddenly widened with surprise. "What? _No_." He said, his teeth now clenched with anger; just the tiniest hint of blush appearing on his pale cheeks.

"Hey! I'm the only one who's allowed to like Artemis!" Darrion yelled, walking up to Artemis and grabbing her hand. He suddenly looked up to her pale face, and said: "My love. Will you marry me?"

Artemis attempted to hide the extreme annoyance in her voice. But as usual, she failed. "Get your hands off me, shrimp!" She yelled, then yanked her hand away and _literally_ flicked him out the room.

Darrion landed just outside the door, the cold castle halls making him shiver as usual. "Eh. Worth a try." He commented to himself, using his Sun Magic to warm himself up.

"But Skylar, ya know I don't blame you for liking Artemis." Kota said, flicking his hand carelessly in Artemis's direction as he faced Skylar. "She's cute and all, but not enough for me." Kota explained lazily, suddenly looking bored. He turned away from Skylar and Artemis and put his porcelain-white arms behind his head, resting against them.

"_WHAT_?!" Artemis screeched. "I'm plenty cute for anyone!" She yelled at Kota's back, her hands balled into fists at her hips while she leaned towards Kota.

Skylar just sighed and rolled his eyes. He was aware of the fact that he was surrounded by idiots, but at times like these he couldn't even bare being around them.

Kota let out another high-pitched laugh, and turned around to face Artemis. "Then what about for Darrion?" Kota asked as Darrion walked back into the room, a beam of magical sunshine following him wherever he went.

Artemis let out a frustrated sigh. "God, you guys are so annoying. Kota, just shut up. That's an order." She told the giggling silver-haired slave.

When Kota saw that his master was being serious, he immediately stopped laughing and obeyed. His silver eyes suddenly gleamed with innocence as he stared at Artemis.

She quickly turned away, and attempted to hide her face from the three loyal, yet disrespectful-at-times servants.

Darrion was the first to notice her tears. "Hey, Princess... What's wrong?" He asked softly, his liquid golden eyes clouded with worry.

"Um... Artemis, you know I didn't mean what I said earlier. You were right; you're plenty cute for anyone. Even _me_. I'd date you right now if you wanted t-" Kota's voice was suddenly cut off as Artemis lunged for his throat.

The impact of the jump-tackle was so severe that they both fell over onto the stone castle ground. "You IDIOT. That's not why I'm-" Artemis suddenly stopped talking as she looked down at Kota, who was beneath her. His normally white face was beginning to turn blue from lack of oxygen.

She quickly let go of his neck, and got off his thin, yet wiry body. Once she was standing above him, she shook her head. Even though they were the same age, he still acted like a ten-year-old.

"Princess, why were you crying?" Skylar asked, his voice soft and smooth; but still contained a hint of worry laced deep from within.

Artemis blushed at the sound of it. He normally didn't talk to her so formally; she had told all three of them countless times to just call her 'Artemis' instead of 'Princess'.

She looked down, and tried to hold in the tears. She crossed her arms in front of her and turned away from the boys.

"You don't have to be like that, you know. You're just being stubborn." Skylar told her, back still facing him.

Artemis sighed. She hadn't cried in so long. She couldn't even remember when was the last time that she did. But then she suddenly remembered why she was always kept happy.

Artemis turned to her three faithful minions, and slowly walked up to Skylar.

As he saw her approach him, his heart began to beat faster. He also then felt the familiar warmth begin creeping into his cheeks again.

Once Artemis got to Skylar, she hugged him tightly. "I'm scared, you guys. The tournament is coming up pretty soon. I've lived my whole life for this, and I just feel like..." She didn't continue, just hugged her handsome slave even closer to her small frame.

"You don't feel ready?" Darrion questioned, pulling at his blood red-colored hair.

Artemis nodded. "You guys have no idea how badly I want to become Demon Queen. It's been my dream ever since I was a little girl. And at this rate..." She glanced down at the heap of golden gate keys on the castle floor, "...I don't think it's gonna happen."

There was a moment of silence, as each of the three servants attempted to come up with something to console their young master.

But Kota, being the same age as the beautiful Demon princess, was the first to say something. "Now don't you give up just yet, Artemis. You still have a couple years to master another kind of magic. All you need to do is find the right one, and you'll win for sure." He said, patting her bare shoulder as she pulled away from Skylar.

"Yeah, this idiot's actually right. Don't worry. Of course we'll help you out with finding a new magic, and help you learn it. Darrion can even be the test subject." Skylar told Artemis, trying to lighten her mood.

"_What_?! Me? Why do _I_ have to be the punching bag?" The young Sun Magic mage complained, then crossed his arms; a slight pout on his lips.

Artemis managed a small smile. "Thanks, guys." She told them, making each of their hearts skip a beat.

It was no secret that Artemis was indeed a heartthrob herself. With her long, straight, layered blue hair with purple streaks, huge purple eyes, and pretty face, no man could see her as anything but beautiful.

She had side-swept bangs with two purple streaks embedded in them that she kept to the right side of her face, and a silver moon crescent clip on the left side of her head. Two thin purple braids rested on either side of her neck, both with mini silver moon clips at the ends which matched the other one in her hair. One small fang peeked out from the left side of her mouth, and a black crescent-shaped moon with a star next to it on the right side of her neck to show her race's symbol, the Demons.

She wore a blue and white lace corset revealing her midriff, and a long black chain necklace with another silver moon ornament at the end. She also wore a silver dog tag necklace with the words 'Artemis Selene Luna' engraved on it that came up to her collar bone. She wore a black pleated mini skirt with a white belt, a black chain shackle bracelet on her right wrist, and a silver all-chain bracelet on her left. Purple fishnet leggings ended just above her knees, and black belt-like crosses wrapped from below her knees down to her ankles; with small white and purple thin lace ribbons on the ends of them. Her shoes were simple all-black Vans slip-ons.**_ (Author's Note: Yes, they have Vans in Edolas. xD)_**

Then, there were her Demon features.

Of course, being part Demon, Artemis had black pointy bat-like wings, no longer than down to her waist. She also had a black devil-tail. But, only blood-related children of the Demon King could have their wings and tail visible even when not in combat mode.

Even though Artemis was only fifteen, 5"4 in height, and had a thin, slender body, she was still highly skilled in the powerful Moon Magic type; and had surpassed many other Demons in the Demon Country of Edolas.

"No problem, Princess." Skylar assured Artemis.

She grinned. "That's Miss Demon Queen to you, mister." She said in a playful tone.

Skylar, Kota, and Darrion just breathed a sigh of relief. They now knew their master was finally back to normal.

Soon Artemis, Kota, and Darrion began talking about different kinds of magic she could learn, while she argued that she still wanted to become a Stellar Spirit mage.

Skylar just watched them with thoughtful, deep red eyes that glowed with warmth for his precious friends.

Of course, being the oldest in the group made him feel like he _had_ to watch over and protect them, even Artemis; who could take care of herself just fine.

He was still only seventeen, 5"7, and a _slave_ at that. But, Skylar knew not to think of himself as a slave. Sure, the Demon King and _his_ servants called him a slave, but he knew he was more of a companion to Artemis. In his mind, it was his job to watch over and protect her, just like it was Kota's and Darrion's. But he was ordered from the King at a young age to do anything she wanted him to, and never, _ever_ do anything to hurt her.

And even _if_ he wasn't told not to ever harm her, he still wouldn't. He cared for her too much. _She saved me. And I wait patiently for the day when I can truly save her in return._

Skylar, like Artemis and Kota, was very pale; but had straight, shiny jet-black hair. His deep red eyes could intimidate anyone who looked directly at him, along with his lean, well-built body. He wore a black and gray-checkered long sleeve button-up shirt, black slightly ripped skinny jeans, and gray shoes. He also wore a gray and red belt that was partially hidden by his shirt. His Demon mark was red in color and located on the right side of his chest, near his heart.

He had deep scars over his wrists from when he'd tried to end his life- before Artemis had stopped him.

Skylar sighed at the painful memory. It wasn't something he liked to think about, but then again, it was how he met his lovely Artemis in the first place.

She'd found him standing on top of a bridge, miles above a roaring ocean. He was about to jump when she suddenly called out to him.

She'd ran out of her fancy carriage, into the pouring rain, at midnight with no jacket on.

And when she ran up to him, she noticed he'd been slicing his wrists open. "H-Hey... What are you doing, mister?" The innocent, ten-year-old girl asked him.

Twelve-year-old Skylar hadn't said anything to the young Artemis, just shrugged his shoulders and looked away.

"You know, you shouldn't be doing that... Or be out here in this terrible rain. You can't even see the moon through these black clouds. Please... Come with me, sir." She pleaded, her young purple eyes filled with worry for the mysterious, shady boy in front of her.

Young Skylar glanced back down to her. He couldn't quite understand why, but something about her just plainly reminded him of the moon itself. "What's your name, little one?" He asked curiously.

Artemis smiled sweetly up at him. "Artemis Selene Luna."

Skylar just smiled back. He was right. Her names literally meant 'Moon Goddess'.

"Now, please..." She reached out her small, pale hand- "Please get down from there. I don't want you to get hurt." She said, stunning Skylar with her kindness.

He wasn't quite thinking as he began to slowly move his hand down over to hers. When they were about to lock fingers, a large group of uniformed men came running from around the corner. "Princess Artemis! Are you alright? Did this boy harm you?" One of them asked, glaring at Skylar; who'd now stepped down from the bridge on his own.

"N-No, of course not! I... I was the one who ran up to him." She explained shamefully, glancing at Skylar from the corner of her eye.

"You ran out of the carriage? We'd thought you had been kidnapped!" One of the guards yelled angrily.

Artemis just ignored them and faced Skylar. She then looked at him in a way that gave him hope; hope for himself, hope for his future, and hope for his beloved mother.

She'd looked at him in a way that showed she cared, even though she had just met him. She didn't know a thing about him, and yet she still wanted him to live on.

_Maybe this world isn't such a cruel place_, he thought as he smiled down at the young princess.

"Hey, don't you go looking at my daughter like that, young man." A tall, shady man with a flowing black cape appeared.

Young Skylar suddenly felt afraid. He had never seen a more terrifying person in his whole life.

"Daddy, be nice. Please." Artemis whispered, looking down at the wet ground with tears in her eyes.

Well, Skylar wasn't sure if they were tears. They could have very well been the rain drops on her face...

"What are you doing out this late? It's against the rules." The Demon King told him.

Skylar glanced down to Artemis again, wondering why they were keeping such a young girl out with them so late. "I have no reason, sir." Skylar told him honestly, a brave look on his face.

The King stared down at him, surprised to see such a stoic expression on such a young boy. "Very well then. You should know how greatly I enforce my rules. You'll be coming with me. And soon, your family too."

Skylar wasn't sure how much later it was, but after a while he found that he and his family were then forced to become slaves for the Demon King.

And, remembering the look of determination on the boy's face from that one night, the King requested himself that Skylar watch over his youngest daughter, Artemis. "Now you listen, boy. You ever do _anything_ to hurt her, physically or mentally, and you'll be facing punishments far worse than anything you could ever imagine. Do you understand?" He told Skylar, his voice gravely serious.

"Yes, sir." The young boy announced.

The King nodded. "Now, go." He ordered.

_She saved my life. And until the day comes that I can return the kindness she showed me on that fateful night, I will never leave her side._

Skylar snapped out of his thoughts when he suddenly felt an intense heat in the room.

It was obvious. The culprit was Darrion.

Skylar looked back towards where Artemis, Kota, and Darrion were. Artemis was simply standing between them, arms crossed and lips in a pout. Kota was laughing hysterically besides her, but not compared to Darrion; who was cracking up so bad that flames were shooting from his mouth.

"_Darrion_. Close your mouth." Skylar ordered.

"I c-can't!" Darrion yelled in between fits of laughter.

Skylar just sighed and joined the group. He nodded at Artemis, "What's so funny?"

Artemis said nothing as her pale cheeks began changing to a petal pink color.

"I told her that when she becomes Demon Queen, she's gonna have to pick someone as her Demon King. And, judging by your increasing amount of power, it looks like_ you_ are the one who's gonna have to do it!" Kota yelled, unable to stop a grin from spreading onto his face.

Skylar suddenly lost his cool. "Okay... _What_?!" He yelled, right in Kota's face.

Darrion nodded, then glanced up at Skylar. "No fair._ I_ wanted to be the one that marries Artemis." He said, his bottom lip stuck out in a pout.

Skylar shook his head, then glanced at Kota. He _must_ have made that up. Sure, Artemis was supposed to pick a Demon King who was strong enough to run the throne with her, but Skylar knew his Demon Slayer magic wasn't powerful enough to make him the strongest wizard in the Demon Country of Edolas... yet. He was possibly around the top five, or maybe even ten, but definitely not number one.

Skylar just smiled at Kota, who had now stopped laughing at Artemis and Skylar's reaction to marriage.

"Hey, it's true y'know." Kota said, staring down Skylar. He suddenly moved closer to Artemis and lazily threw an arm around her shoulders.

Skylar flinched at the sudden contact. Soon, he was glaring right back at Kota.

For being fifteen, the same age as Artemis, Kota was pretty immature. He was short, only 5"5, which was barely an inch taller than Artemis herself. But take just one look at him, and you'd know Kota was a player. He had the most pale skin out of all of them; it looked practically white and flawless beyond infinite.

And if his skin didn't catch your attention, his hair and eyes definitely would. Both were inhumanly a shining silver color. He wore a thin white t-shirt, and a black-and-silver striped scarf. He had long, sharp canine-like teeth that proved he was a Wind Dragon Slayer. He wore skinny black-and-silver pinstriped pants to match his dragon-scaled scarf, white shoes and thick black sweatbands on both of his wrists. His Demon mark was gray and located on the front side of his left arm, right in the center.

"What are you guys staring at each other for?" Darrion asked Skylar and Kota innocently.

They both suddenly stopped glaring, and looked down at their young friend.

"What?" He asked, a confused look on his face.

Kota sighed. "Nothing, young blood."

Artemis moved her shoulders out from beneath Kota's arm. "So guys, back to _what we were talking about._ Should we do it, or not?" She asked her partners.

"Eh, if you want to. I'm cool with it. I really wouldn't mind going back to that Magnolia place, there were tons of hot girls from that Fairy Tail guild." Kota responded, earning a smack on the back of his head from Skylar.

"Idiot. I highly doubt that was even helpful. Now, Artemis, what were you talking about?" Skylar asked, paying no attention to the wincing Kota.

"She decided that she still wants to become a Stellar Spirit mage. We need to find the girl who owns those keys lying over there and kill her, so Artemis can use them." Darrion announced for Artemis, pride in his voice and a smile on his face.

Artemis and Skylar flinched at the sound of such a young boy talking about murder as though it was no big deal.

"What? I think we should do it. You said I could lead that mission, right Artemis?" Darrion asked, hope in his voice as he looked up at Artemis and gave her a puppy dog face.

She simply smacked it away from her. "I said no such thing. And you know, you're not as cute as you think you are." She announced, brushing off his attempt to persuade her.

Kota laughed. "Ya need some wind for that burn, Sun Boy?" He teased, making a mini tornado with his finger tips.

Darrion just pouted.

Okay, sure, he _was_ only eleven and three quarters, but that didn't give everyone the right to tease him. He WAS almost twelve, anyway. But then again... He didn't appear as powerful as he truly was. Being only 4"11 in height, people often mistook him as a young, weak little child. Never would they imagine that he was actually a Sun Magic mage, one of the Three Sacred Magics of the Sky.

Only chosen ones could learn those special abilities, such as Artemis with her Moon Magic and an unknown girl yet to be discovered with the magical ability of the Stars.

Of course, being a Sun Magic mage had its perks. Darrion had a slight tan, which was thought to be impossible among the Demon race. He also had blood-red hair and liquid gold eyes. He wore a sleeveless burnt orange-colored thick cotton shirt, with two buttons down the collar. His Demon mark was yellow and just below his right shoulder. He also wore khaki shorts and old, beat-up red Converse high-tops. On his left wrist was a black chain shackle bracelet, which matched the one Artemis wore on her right wrist.

Artemis sighed. "I guess that's our only option, though." She mumbled quietly, not bothering to look any of her servants in the eye.

"What was that?" Skylar asked.

"I-I said, that's our only option. So guys, pay attention. I need you to bring me that Lucy Heartfilia girl. And make sure you _don't_ kill her along the way. Just bring her to me, ALIVE." Artemis made her statement clear.

"But, why? Can't we just kill her and then everything will be okay? Like, you could use her keys after that?" Darrion questioned.

Artemis smiled an evil smirk. "Indeed. But I'd like to chat with her first." She said, her creepy grin growing even bigger.

"Ah, so you can get directions on how to actually _use_ the keys?" Kota asked, putting a finger in the air in understanding.

Artemis simply raised her hand and blasted a Moonlight Ray at Kota. Immediately he flew across the room, covered in the glittering bluish-purple magic.

"_No_!" Artemis yelled, annoyed that Kota would even suggest such a thing.

"Well then, what _are_ you going to talk with her about?" Darrion asked Artemis curiously.

She let out a frustrated sigh. "You'll see. Let's just say she'll get what she deserves for all the trouble she caused us." Artemis explained, smiling like an evil villain.

Kota got up from the heap of stone rubble surrounding him. He did a double take at the new hole in the stone wall, then looked back at Artemis. "But, wouldn't you say that it was actually all _your_ fault for the trouble that was caused? I mean, you _did_ make the mistake of-"

Poor Kota didn't even get to finish his sentence before he flew through the hole in the wall into another room and through yet another stone wall.

"So, we just have to bring you that girl Lucy?" Darrion asked, just to make sure.

"Yup." Artemis confirmed.

"But remember, we must bring her back _alive_. So we have to be gentle with her." Skylar reminded Darrion.

"Gentle? That's me. I can do this solo, guys." Kota suddenly appeared again, "That chick's mine." He claimed, and licked his lips in anticipation.

"Eww! You'd really like that girl? I'm so much cuter than her." Artemis exclaimed, cupping her own face with self-appreciation.

Kota walked up closer to Artemis. "Then can I have you instead?" He asked, his voice smooth and seductive as he placed his hand on her bare waist.

"_Kota_. Be serious." Skylar warned, shooting the silver-haired playboy a death glare.

"Yeah, be serious!" Darrion echoed.

Kota just sighed and rolled his eyes.

"So as I was _saying_," Artemis glared at Kota, who winked at her and grinned- "I need you three to fetch me Lucy Heartfilia. Unharmed, so just tie her up when she's not paying attention or something. Okay?" She asked her servants.

They all nodded. "Yes, Princess." They said in unison.

Artemis just smiled. "Good. Now, go."

And they were off.

Once her three minions were gone, Artemis realized she'd be alone for quite a while again. The castle just didn't seem the same without those three idiots running around.

Artemis just sighed and walked into her bedroom. She looked out the window, just to watch her only three friends leave her.

But, she knew it must be done.

It was what she was born to do. She must master Stellar Spirit Magic, win the tournament, and be crowned Demon Queen. It was her long time dream, her destiny, she just knew it.

Sure, she knew she would have a hard time battling against her older brothers and sisters, but it was all meant to be. Artemis Luna, in a few short years, would become the Demon Queen.

Yes, that just sounded so right to her.

Artemis closed her eyes once she noticed her friends were gone, completely off the castle grounds. Feeling a bit lonely, she looked down at her carpet; which had patterns of golden lions on it.

She scowled at the ugly carpeting, remembering the young age she was when she first picked it.

It was about twenty years ago, when she was thirteen.

When she had met Leo the Lion.

* * *

"I told you, I told you, I _told_ you guys!" Natsu yelled as he ran around the guild hall, bragging to pretty much every member of Fairy Tail that yes, he_ could_ take care of a sick person.

"Would you just shut up already? Yeah, you were able to take care of Lucy. Big deal." Gray said, not bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice

"Aw, cut him some slack. Honestly, I didn't think he could manage. But he did." Erza pointed out, who was polishing one of her armors.

Natsu just grinned. He walked over to Gray and patted his head. "It's alright, Gray. Maybe someday you'll be able to take care of a sick person t-"

At that moment, Gray snatched Natsu's hand and threw it to the side; causing Natsu's whole body to go flying onto a table.

The impact of Natsu crashing onto the table made it break in half. "Hey! What's your problem, jerk face?!" Natsu yelled, getting up from the floor and stalking back to Gray.

"Quit the bragging. It's so annoying that I almost wanna freeze myself." He responded nonchalantly, arms crossed while leaning on the legs of the guild's wooden chair.

"I do what I want!" Natsu yelled, right in Gray's boredom-clad face.

"Would you two shut up? I'm trying to concentrate here." Erza commanded.

Gray and Natsu glared at each other before quieting down.

A couple minutes later, Natsu; who was now bored, looked around the guild for something fun to play with. Then he spotted just the right thing.

* * *

"How's the novel going, Lu-chan?" Levy asked Lucy, sipping the drink she'd gotten from Mira at the bar.

Lucy instantly started coughing. She pulled her lemonade away and set it on the bar's counter.

"Yeah, how is that? I'd love to read it after Levy-san." Mira said from behind the counter, drying a glass with a towel.

"Well, um... I'm still working on it." Lucy told them, her cheeks slightly pink.

"You like to _write_?" Cana asked, before chugging another cup of beer and slamming it on the counter. "Another, Mira!" She exclaimed.

"Uh... just a little." Lucy admitted sheepishly.

"I think that's great. I wish I had a hobby, Mira-nee!" Lisanna said excitedly.

Lucy just managed a smile. Then, all five of the girls suddenly turned their heads when they heard a loud _CRASH_.

"What was that?" Levy asked, glancing around.

Cana put another cup to her lips and pointed with her thumb finger behind her. "Natsu, obviously." She said, slurping the alcohol loudly.

"He broke the table." Lisanna pointed out, then giggled.

They all watched for a moment as Natsu got up and walked angrily over to Gray, and yelled something right in his face.

Mira giggled. "That's your boy, Lucy-san." She said with a smile, then continued drying a glass.

Lucy blushed instantly. "W-What? Why does he have to be _my_ boy?" Lucy asked, staring right at Mira.

"Y'know, you guys actually _would_ make a cute couple." Cana commented, eyeing Lucy from the brim of the cup that was still on her lips.

"Oh, hush up." Lucy responded quickly, trying to hide her red face.

"But it's true!" Levy yelled, with a huge smile on her face.

Lucy faced Levy. 'L-... Levy-chan, don't make me bring up Gajeel." She said, trying to sound threatening; but it came out more like a statement.

But Levy instantly got the message and quieted down, and began staring down at the floor with a hint of pink on her cheeks.

"Uh, guys... You shouldn't tease Lucy-san like that. Natsu's her partner and that's it. If she doesn't want to think about him in that way, then you guys shouldn't force her." Lisanna said, trying to sound firm so it didn't give away her statement's true intentions.

For a few seconds, none of the girls said anything.

Then Cana silently set down her beer mug. "Oh, I see how it is. A bit_ jealous_, aren't we, Lisanna?" She said, an evil smirk on her tan face.

Lisanna's eyes suddenly widened. "N-No, of course not! I was just... saying..." Her voice trailed off. She actually didn't know _what_ to say.

Then there was another short silence. Lucy was about to speak up when she suddenly felt someone practically_ jump_ on her back.

"Hey, Lucy!" Natsu yelled, a big goofy grin on his adorable face.

Lucy's face instantly reddened again. His arms were around her shoulders, and his torso was pressing against her back. "Natsu...?" She turned her head to face him, and he simply smiled at her again.

"Awww, how cute. You guys are so adorable together." Cana said, glancing at Lisanna and winking.

Natsu pulled away from Lucy and stood beside her. "Is that so?" He asked. But the bored look on his face showed that he didn't really care to hear the answer.

"How are you, Natsu-san?" Mira asked politely. But mostly just to keep Cana from teasing her little sister.

Natsu grabbed a bar stool and sat down, slouching with his back resting against the counter. "Good I guess. Me and Lucy are just waiting for Gramps to come back."

"What for?" Levy asked curiously, finally raising her head from staring at the ground.

Natsu sighed. "We just really need to talk to him." He told her, suddenly looking troubled.

Lucy sat down next to Natsu. "Where's he at again...?" She asked, picking her lemonade back up from the counter.

"He had to go to another one of those council meetings." Natsu explained.

Then Lisanna suddenly appeared in front of Natsu. "Oh yeah, where's our son, Natsu?" She asked, trying to sound sweet and look cute.

Natsu threw her an annoyed look. "Don't know." He replied quickly, then turned away from her to face Lucy. "So anyway, did Loke say if he knew for sure or not if Artemis is still here?" He asked, the annoyed expression no longer on his face.

"It appears the innocent act didn't work this time, Lisanna." Cana commented with a short laugh.

Lisanna just blushed crimson and walked back over to her seat beside Levy.

"Hey, who's Artemis, Lu-chan?" Levy asked casually.

Both Natsu and Lucy eyed her uncomfortably.

"But, uh... You guys don't have to tell me if you don't want to...?" Levy sweatdropped at the sight of the two partners staring at her.

Then Natsu chuckled. "Sorry guys, I needa steal Lucy from you." He quickly got off his stool and stood up. "Let's go, Lucy." He said, and reached for her hand. He pulled her off the stool and then quickly began to drag her out of the guild.

"Wait, my lemonade!" She said, reaching out for her drink; but it was too late.

She was already being dragged at Natsu's full speed out the guild door.

"Wait, Natsu! You're going too fast. I'm gonna trip." She complained, trying to free her wrist from Natsu's death grip.

He didn't stop running till they were in the middle of Magnolia, right in the center of all the shops and streets with people passing through.

"Hey, why'd you have to do this?" Lucy asked, looking slightly annoyed.

Natsu just shrugged. He then eyed a wagon someone was pulling with cotton candy hanging from it, selling them to tourists.

Lucy's mouth almost fell open. "You mean... You dragged me all the way out here just for _nothing_?!" She exclaimed.

Natsu looked away from the cotton candy. "Well... of course not. I wanted to take you away from everyone so we could talk about... you know, _THEM_... But, I don't know. Just kinda found myself running all the way out here." He explained, shrugging his shoulders.

Lucy sighed, and rolled her eyes. "If you wanted a break from everyone, you could've just said so."

Natsu's eyes widened. "Hey, that's not it! I mean, I love everyone in Fairy Tail, it's just...-"

"-It's just, everyone needs a break from family every once in a while." Lucy said with a sweet smile.

Natsu didn't say anything for a few seconds, then he grinned. "You always know the right things to say, Lucy." He said, rubbing the back of his neck with his right arm.

She just grinned at him. "So anyway, you actually were right. We need to talk about what we're gonna do about that Artemis girl." She said, her grin fading.

Natsu suddenly looked serious. "Yeah, I know. I really didn't want to worry anyone by telling them about what Loke told us..."

Lucy nodded. "I figured. That's why you ran off in the first place, right?" She asked.

"Yeah."

They then began to walk over to a sitting area which was surrounded by many small shops, with tourists scattering all over the place.

As they were walking, Lucy couldn't help but linger close to Natsu. There were so many people at this time of year that it was so crowded to the point where you couldn't walk a few steps without bumping into someone.

And then, a small crowd of teenagers noticed the guild marks on Natsu and Lucy.

"Hey, they're from Fairy Tail!"

"Oh my god, the guy with the pink hair is so cute!"

"And that blondie's totally hot!"

"Wait, aren't they Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia?"

Lucy just smiled as she passed them, and Natsu simply rolled his eyes. "Tourists." He mumbled quietly.

And at that moment, someone carelessly bumped into Lucy. He just glanced at her and Natsu, then hurriedly walked away.

"Hey!" Natsu yelled, turning around. "Aren't you at least gonna apologize?!" He yelled after the stranger.

Lucy giggled. "It's _alright_, Natsu." She comforted. "It's not a big deal."

Natsu just pouted. She knew he could be overprotective sometimes.

As the crowd got thicker, Lucy instinctively grabbed onto Natsu's arm. They noticed there was some kind of show going on, and people were rushing to go see it.

Soon though, the area became less crowded with people. And Lucy noticed some people were beginning to stare at her and Natsu.

"Um, why are people looking at us like this?" Natsu questioned, eyeing another gawking tourist.

Lucy shrugged, then looked down. And gasped.

Both her arms were still latched onto Natsu's left one.

Natsu noticed about the same time she did. "Oh. You're still clinging to me." He observed.

Lucy quickly blushed and let go. She looked down at the ground, her blonde hair completely shading her brown eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Natsu asked. And, much to Lucy's surprise, he reached back down and grabbed her wrist.

Lucy gasped a little. "What are you-"

"-You might get lost." Natsu cut in, having already known what she was going to ask.

Lucy blushed furiously. "_Natsu_. People are staring at us because they think we're... t-together." She said, mumbling the last few words.

Natsu looked confused. And, to Lucy's horror, he moved his hand from her wrist down to her own hand, even going so far as to interlock his fingers with hers. "But, we _are_ together, Lucy." He said, eyebrows knit together in confusion.

Lucy was so surprised that she almost fainted. "N-_No_, you idiot. I mean they think we're a _couple_." She said. They had stopped walking, but Lucy didn't yank her hand away from Natsu. She just stood there, letting him hold it.

"Wait... couple? That means there's two of us, right?" He looked deep in thought as he used his free hand to tap his chin.

Lucy simply stared at him, awestruck. She had no idea that he could be _this_ dense.

"What?" He asked, once he noticed that she'd been staring at him.

"Y'know, Natsu... I worry about you sometimes." Lucy said, narrowing her eyes at him.

Natsu just smiled. "Not as much as I worry about you, Lucy." He said gently, then squeezed her hand a little bit.

Lucy gasped slightly. His statement had made her heart skip a beat.

Natsu's smile turned into another one of his goofy grins. "Come on. We're almost there! It's hard to talk in the middle of all these people." He said, then dragged her by the hand all the way over to the more-quiet sitting area not too far from where they were standing.

And as Natsu was pulling Lucy by her hand, she couldn't help but think: _Why does it seem like me and Natsu are... on a date?_

* * *

"It's gonna be so much fun!" Wendy squealed, happily throwing Carla in the air.

"Wendy, please stop this at once." Carla complained.

"Why? You can fly, can't you?" Wendy responded.

"Now, I'm not exactly sure how it's going to happen yet, but I know it will because Master has already approved of it." Mira confirmed, making all the girls around her squeal with delight.

"A welcome-home party! Such a great idea, Mira-san!" Levy exclaimed gleefully.

"There'll be enough booze to last us all night!" Cana yelled excitedly, throwing her fist in the air.

"And we'll have music, right Mira-nee? Like... slow songs?" Lisanna asked sheepishly, a tiny blush on her cheeks.

"Of course." Mira said with a wink.

"Hey Levy, what if Gajeel asks you to dance?" Cana asks with a wiggle of her eyebrow.

Levy instantly blushed crimson. "C-Cana-san! Don't say things like that!" Levy yelled, eyes squeezed shut in embarrassment.

"I appreciate your idea, Mirajane, but... what's this party for again?" Erza asked, not nearly as excited as the other girls.

Mira just smiled. "A welcome-back party for Lucy-san. You know, since she was injured?" Mira explained.

Erza closed her eyes and sighed. "Girls. Lucy was only gone for a couple days, not years. Is this part really necessary?" She asked intelligently.

"It's absolutely necessary!" Cana yelled.

"Yeah!" The other girls exclaimed.

Erza just tried to smile. "Fine then, if that's what you all want." She said, crossing her arms and looking down.

"Oh, thank you, Erza-san!" Levy yelled, then threw her arms around her; armor and all.

"No need to thank me. I could use a break, too." Erza said, patting Levy on the head.

"But remember, it'll also be a surprise party. So no telling Lucy-san." Mira reminded the girls.

They all nodded, eyes gleaming with excitement.

"But when will this party be?" Wendy asked, now holding Carla in her arms.

Mira thought for a moment. "Probably tomorrow evening. So, we've got some work to do. Does anyone know where Lucy-san is at the moment?" She asked the small crowd of girls.

No one said anything for a few seconds. Then, Juvia appeared from the side. "Um... Juvia saw the Lucy and the Natsu leave just a short while ago. Juvia also saw them when she went to the store to buy some ice cream for Gr-... Juvia means, she saw them while she was at the store. The Lucy and Natsu were by the shops, they appeared to be on a date." Juvia finished, grinning with an evil look in her eye at her last few words.

Levy gasped. "Really?! I just remembered they left the guild a while ago together, but I didn't know it was for a date!" She almost shrieked.

Juvia nodded. "Yes. Juvia saw them holding hands and everything." Juvia then smiled and blushed, thinking to herself: _Now Juvia's ultimate rival in love will be eliminated!_

Everyone in Fairy Tail suddenly went silent. They all appeared to have heard Juvia's last sentence.

All of their eyes were as big as saucers. "Did you just say... Natsu and Lucy went on a _date_?!" Gray yelled, from halfway across the guild.

Juvia nodded. "Yes! And now you will be mine, Gray-sama!" She yelled, her eyes temporarily huge pink hearts.

"I'll pass." Gray said plainly.

Before Juvia could say anything, Lisanna moved in front of her. Lisanna placed her hands on Juvia's shoulders before saying, "Juvia-san... were Natsu and Lucy-san really holding hands?" She asked, her blue eyes filled with impatience.

Juvia just nodded.

"Well, that's great for them! We can have Natsu distract Lu-chan while we get ready for the party. Now, who wants to come with me to buy the decorations?" Levy asked.

"I will!" Cana said, putting her barrel of beer down.

"It sounds good then. We'll just have to keep Lucy-san away from the guild for a while." Mira said, the party now set in motion. "The party will be held tomorrow evening."

"Yaaay!" Wendy and everyone else in Fairy Tail yelled.

That is, everyone in Fairy Tail except for a certain white-haired, blue-eyed Take Over mage.

* * *

"I'm starving!" Natsu yelled impatiently as he and Lucy waited for their waitress to come back with their orders.

"Shush. You don't have to be so loud." Lucy complained, glancing around to see if anyone had turned to look at them.

"But why? She's taking forever!" He yelled, slamming his fist on the table.

Lucy just sighed and looked down. She was glad they were sitting at a table with an umbrella-shade covering them, because it was unbelievably hot outside. _Completely different from the weather when me and Natsu got stuck in my house the night of that terrible storm..._

"So how're you feeling, Lucy?" Natsu asked, suddenly sounding worried.

Lucy instantly lifted her head up. "Uh, fine. Never better." She insisted, though sounding not quite convincing.

Natsu began staring at her, completely silent. He appeared slightly troubled, as if something was bothering him about her.

Lucy began to feel uncomfortable. She started to squirm around in her seat as she looked away from Natsu's staring face. "W-What are you looking at, weirdo?" She asked, a slight blush on her cheeks.

Natsu didn't respond at first. He simply leaned over the table and stared at her more closely, his hands on his chair's armrests.

Lucy blushed even more. "Natsu... What are you... doing..." It became even more difficult for her to form words as he moved even closer to her face.

But then she decided that she wasn't going to let him get the upper hand. She faced him and looked him straight in the eye, their faces only an inch or so away from each other.

But what she didn't expect to happen was for him to suddenly cup her face with both of his hands, and place his cheek on her forehead; as if he was checking for something.

"Hey! What're you _doing_?!" She exclaimed, her voice now sounding irritated. But, she had to admit, his warm face on her forehead felt kind of nice.

"You still have a fever!" He suddenly yelled, removing his thermometer-like face from her forehead.

Lucy's eyes widened. "_What_? No I don't! I just checked this morning, and besides, I feel fine." She argued, and placed her hand where Natsu's face had been. It felt only the slightest bit warm, but not quite enough to be a fever.

Natsu leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He looked away from Lucy, and a slight blush appeared on his face. "Your temperature feels around ninety-nine point nine degrees. That's practically a fever." He mumbled quietly, a hint of stubbornness in his voice.

Lucy didn't say anything for a moment. Then slowly, a smile began to appear on her face. She started to laugh, while Natsu just watched her.

"Lucy... what's so funny?" He asked, once her laughter died down.

Lucy wiped a small tear from her eye. "You're just so overprotective. It's adorable." She told him, still grinning.

Natsu rolled his eyes, feeling his face grow even warmer than it already was. "Well, it's true. You really do have a fever." He pouted.

Lucy couldn't help but notice how adorable Natsu looked when he blushed. "An average temperature is around ninety-seven point seven. A fever is at least one hundred and one degrees." She pointed out.

"Still." Natsu huffed.

Lucy simply chuckled. "Lighten up, Natsu. I'm perfectly healed. Wendy's magic may have been malfunctioning a bit in the first place, but not as much as the master had thought. I'm totally fine now, see?" She grinned at him again and put up two thumbs up, trying to convince him that she was completely healed.

Natsu glanced at her. "Even the broken ribs?" He asked skeptically.

"Well of course. I highly doubt I'd even be able to walk if my ribs were still broken." She pointed out.

Natsu didn't say anything for a moment. He just continued to watch her; she was still doing thumbs-up on both hands and grinning awkwardly. She didn't know if she should keep her hands up or put them down already.

But before either of them could say anything, their waitress finally appeared. "Here's your orders, my lovelies. I apologize for the long wait." She told them politely.

Natsu's face instantly lit up. "Yes, finally!" He exclaimed, digging in as soon as he got his food.

"You don't have to apologize. Thank you so much." Lucy told the waitress sweetly.

She just smiled down at the pretty blonde. "My pleasure. And might I say, you two are absolutely the _cutest_ couple I've ever served here." The waitress said, her warm smile turning into a grin.

Lucy's face turned crimson red as soon as she heard that. "Oh, no, y-you've got it all wrong. Me and Natsu are just partners!" She said quickly, waving her hand away at the thought.

The waitress looked surprised. "Really?" She asked. She glanced towards Natsu, whom had stopped eating for the moment to watch her and Lucy. "My mistake then. I'd just thought that from what I'd seen him do to you earlier that-"

"-Oh, that...?" Lucy asked, suddenly remembering when Natsu had put his face to hers to check her temperature; right in front of the window to the restaurant. "He, um, well-" Lucy began, her face beginning to overheat.

"-Hey waiter, what's that button say?" Natsu curiously asked the young waitress, pointing to the small button pinned to her uniform.

The waitress smiled. She removed the button and showed it to Natsu, who grabbed it and took a closer look. "Team... NaLu?" He asked, not quite understanding what he was reading.

The waitress nodded. "Yup. Isn't it cute?" She asked, taking the button back.

"What's a NaLu?" Lucy asked, now just as curious as Natsu.

The waitress looked down at the two, and grinned. "It's an anime ship. They would be the perfect pairing. I've always fancied them more than NaLi so that's why I wear this to support them." She explained.

Lucy just nodded. But Natsu piped up and said, "Yeah! Like Naruto and Sakura. I ship 'em!" He exclaimed.

Lucy facepalmed. "You guys are otakus." She told them calmly.

The waitress just smiled. "Precisely. Now, I'll be going. Let me know if you need anything else." She said, and then was off.

After a few minutes, Natsu said: "So Lucy... we need to talk to Gramps as soon as he comes back from the council meeting." He told her, after she took a sip of her drink. "He has to know what Loke told us before we can leave to find your keys and stuff." He explained, biting off a piece of a chicken leg.

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, I understand. Do you really think those guardians of Artemis are really as strong as Loke said they were?" She asked, almost hoping Natsu would say that he knew for sure that they weren't.

"Dunno. Maybe. He sure looked like he wasn't kidding around about their strength." Natsu pointed out, then gulped down his cup of water.

"What if the master says they're too strong for us to take on...?" Lucy asked, suddenly feeling weak.

Natsu put his cup down. "Hey, Lucy. Don't you know by now that _no one_ is too tough for me to take on?" He asked, looking almost surprised by her question.

Lucy looked down. "I guess. But, don't you think we should bring more people with us?" She asked.

Natsu rested his elbow against the table. "Yeah, I guess. But only Gray and Erza, okay? I don't want anyone else getting hurt." Natsu said, his voice actually serious for once.

Lucy nodded, determination now in her beautiful brown eyes.

No matter how hard it was going to be, she was going to get her spirits back. She was willing to risk her life and face wizards a hundred times more powerful than her if it meant getting her keys back, and she knew her teammates would do just the same. She knew very well that facing these three mages would probably be one of the most dangerous things they've ever done, but she still wouldn't give up hope. _You better watch out, Demon princess. We're gonna get you..._

"Lucy, you gonna eat that?" Natsu asked, breaking Lucy away from her thoughts. He was pointing to a half-eaten hamburger that was still on her plate.

"Nah, you can have it. I'm not that hungry anyway." Lucy said, but before she was even done with the sentence Natsu had already shoved the whole thing in his mouth.

"Thanks, Lu-shi!" He said with his mouth full.

Lucy just elbowed him as they stood up from the table. "Don't talk with your mouth full." She scolded, putting up a pointed finger in a_ tsk-tsk_ sort of way.

He just grinned, and threw his arm over her shoulders as they began walking back to the guild. "Ah, my Lucy. I love ya." He said, still with a grin on his face.

Lucy instantly felt her face blush. She knew he meant it in a friendly, brother/sister-like way, but secretly, deep down inside she hoped that maybe... just, maybe... He was simply too dense to realize how he _really_ meant to say he loved her.

* * *

Lucy sighed, and rested her blonde head on the wooden table.

"Something wrong, Lucy?" Erza asked, once she heard her sigh.

"Oh, not really. I'm fine." Lucy assured her.

Erza glanced at her again, not quite believing her answer. "Are you sure?" She asked.

Lucy nodded, and closed her eyes slightly. She was beyond tired; and beyond worried, too. She had spent the last night tossing and turning in her bed, trying to get the fact that her spirits were no longer with her out of her head.

She never knew that being without her keys could make her feel so lonely, so useless. She even missed Virgo popping out without being summoned, just to ask for silly things like 'punishment', or taking out Plue whenever she needed company.

But Lucy knew better than to worry about not ever getting her gate keys back. She happened to know of a certain pink-haired, strong-willed boy who would do anything he could just for her. _I believe in Natsu. If he says he'll get back my gate keys, then no doubt he will._

* * *

Gray looked back over to Lucy.

She was still sitting there, with her head lying down on the table. Erza was seated across from her, but neither of them were really talking.

Lucy just laid there, and Gray realized her eyes were closed._ She looks worried_, he thought to himself.

The more he looked at her, the worse he felt. Lucy had been a member of the guild for a while now, and there was still a lot of things he didn't know about her.

But _Natsu_, his enemy, happened to know things like her favorite color, her favorite food, _what it was like to sleep in her bed_... her dreams, her wishes, her past.

But Gray... He only knew what everyone else in the guild knew about her. Just... basic information.

He suddenly remembered back when Fairy Tail and all the other guilds were in a war with the Oracion Seis. Angel had also been a celestial wizard and had Gemini take over Gray's body, and tell Lucy his most intimate thought of her: That he was secretly interested in her.

Gemini had also told Lucy that Gray thought she was 'pretty damn cute'. And to this day, Gray _still_ thought that.

He had never told anyone, but he actually, kind of... wanted to get closer to Lucy. He originally had been planning to ask her to join his team when she first joined Fairy Tail, but Natsu had beat him to it.

Gray even once thought about asking Lucy on a date, but when he'd asked her what she was doing that night, she'd told him that she had plans with Natsu and Happy... again.

And with Juvia always stalking him all over the place, Gray could never get Lucy alone. Every time he tried, it was always either Juvia, Natsu, or Happy that would interrupt.

"Why does Natsu always get things before me." Gray mumbled quietly, feeling slightly jealous of Natsu's and Lucy's close friendship.

"You say something?" Elfman asked, turning away from Macao and Wakaba to face Gray.

"Um, no. I didn't." Gray answered back quickly.

Elfman just shrugged and turned back around, while Gray slouched in his seat and crossed his arms.

_Natsu's always trying to compete with me. Could he really have been purposely trying to keep Lucy away from me? Or was he just jealous? Or... maybe he was simply being his dense, idiot self_... Gray thought to himself, feeling slightly annoyed.

_But there's no way Natsu could ever get her_... Gray began thinking. He's not mature enough to actually get a girlfriend. Especially one like Lucy. _So what's been holding me back_...?

Gray glanced back over to Lucy, for like the tenth time since he'd walked into Fairy Tail that afternoon.

_Maybe I should try talking to her more, and see where that goes_... Gray thought as he got up from his chair. What could possibly go wrong? _I'll just try to cheer her up, since she looks so down. And see if any sparks fly..._

He slowly began walking over to Lucy, his heart picking up its pace as he got closer to her.

"Hello, Gray." Erza greeted as Gray got to their table.

"Um, hi." He said awkwardly. He put his hand in his pocket and looked away, trying to hide the blush on his face from Erza.

Lucy finally lifted her head from the table. "What's up Gray?" She asked, as he avoided their eyes.

Gray could feel cold sweat begin to run down the side of his face._ It's too late to chicken out now_, he thought as he forced himself to look straight at Lucy. "Uh... I was wondering, can I talk to you outside or something?" He asked her, earning an eyebrow arch from Erza.

Before Lucy could even respond or react, they heard a loud voice coming from the other side of the guild.

"LUUU-CYYY!" Both Natsu and Happy yelled as they charged towards her.

Lucy looked surprised as she saw them running at full speed towards her. She quickly stood up and faced them, about to say something when... they full-on tackled her.

As Lucy nearly fell over backwards, Gray glanced to where Natsu and Happy had been before they'd ran all the way over here.

They must have been standing near Mira, because she was grinning like crazy and Levy was next to her laughing. And as Gray looked closer, he noticed that they soon began to whisper secretively to each other. Cana, Wendy, and Lisanna soon joined in too.

_What could they possibly have been planning?!_... Gray thought angrily as he looked away from them and saw Natsu hugging Lucy.

Gray then felt something he hadn't felt in a long time... _jealousy_. And once it began taking over his mind and body, he couldn't stop it.

"Natsu, let go!" Lucy commanded, trying to yank him off.

He simply grinned mischievously. "No way."

Lucy then looked up to Happy, who was now resting on top of her head. "What's he doing?" She asked, pointing at Natsu.

Happy grinned. "Distracting you." He answered almost immediately.

"Distracting me? But what f-"

"-WE GOTTA GO LUCY!" Natsu yelled. He was still clinging to her as he moved forward, dragging her to the guild's exit.

"Again? But why?" She whined, trying to squirm free of Natsu's muscular arms.

But he wouldn't let go of Lucy as he began to run out the door. He looked down and smiled at her as he said, "Just come with me."

She momentarily stopped resisting and looked up at his face, which was too close to her own for Gray's comfort.

But before he knew it, they were out of the guild in a flash.

And the jealous feeling began to take over again.

_What could he POSSIBLY have to tell her that is important enough to force her out of the guild?_... Gray thought, annoyed. But then, and idea popped in his head.

He began to run out of the guild to find Natsu and Lucy before he could change his mind.

_Okay... why am I doing this..._ he wondered to himself as he caught up to them. They didn't notice him at first, so he stayed hidden behind a tree. _Great, now I feel like Juvia..._

He stopped regretting his decision as he heard Lucy begin to complain.

"Alright, seriously... Why did you take me out here again?" Lucy asked, arms crossed and just a hint of annoyance laced in her voice.

"It's a surprise!" Happy exclaimed, flying in between Natsu and Lucy.

Natsu just grinned. "Literally."

Lucy raised her eyebrow at them. "What are you trying to pull?" She asked suspiciously.

"Nothing!" They both exclaimed.

Lucy just sighed.

_Wait a second... Did Natsu do this just to._.. Gray began wondering, then smacked his face with his palm. _I. Am such. An idiot.._. he scolded himself, remembering about Lucy's surprise party.

Mira had just planned it yesterday, but they were all pretty much ready to have it by last night. Levy and Cana had gone out and bought all the decorations, Mira and Wendy to get the food, and Erza and Lisanna notified everyone about the party. They just needed Lucy out of the guild to set everything up, and probably sent Natsu to distract her until tonight.

But, Gray couldn't help but wonder, why Natsu had dragged her out of the guild _yesterday_ just to talk to her. Could it really have been... a date?

He was majorly curious. Not just because he secretly wanted to be the one to take Lucy on her first date, but because he couldn't handle knowing the fact that _Natsu_ could score a date before he could.

Without thinking, Gray suddenly appeared out from behind the tree. "Sup guys. You two on a date or something?" He asked nonchalantly as he approached Natsu and Lucy.

"What the... where'd you come from?!" Natsu yelled, frantically pointing at Gray and his eyes as big as baseballs.

Gray calmly walked over to them. "Natsu. Chill." He said, his voice emotionless as he put a palm up in front of Natsu's face to cease his questioning.

"He's too_ fired up_ to chill, Gray." Lucy commented, giggling at the overused fire dragon/ice mage pun.

Happy rolled his eyes. "Lucy... I need to tell you something, okay? Breaking news: You're kind of stupid." He said after flying in front of her face and giving her a serious look.

"Oh shut up, cat." She said quickly, smacking him away from her face.

Natsu watched Happy land in his arms before turning to Gray and saying, "So stripper, why're you here?"

Gray frowned a bit more. "I do what I want." He said, and was about to throw an insult at Natsu when he heard Lucy giggle again.

"Well, obviously you do." She said, leaning into Natsu's shoulder just the slightest bit to hide her reddening face.

Then Natsu began to laugh a bit too. But the thing that actually pissed Gray off the most was that Natsu leaned his face into Lucy's, whose head was leaning on Natsu's shoulder.

"What the hell is so funny?!" Gray snapped, feeling as if both Natsu and Lucy were against him.

It was like when you're a little kid, and you see two other kids playing together and you want to join them. But when you ask if you can play with them, they just look at you like you're an outcast and immediately shut you out.

That was kind of how Gray felt. It was as though _he_ was intruding on Natsu and Lucy, and they were just trying to get him to leave.

But, Lucy was his friend. His _teammate_, after all. And deep down, Gray knew that even Natsu cared about him too; like a brother. Gray just hated the feeling he was getting from them.

He continued to glare at Natsu and Lucy until their laughter finally died down. "So. What was so funny." He said, sounding more like a command rather than a question.

Natsu just smirked at him. "Gray. Your clothes. _Again_."

Gray slowly looked down, and saw nothing but his bare skin and underwear. _DAMMIT_... he thought, wanting to punch the satisfied look off Natsu's face. _I'm SO gonna get him back for this._

"And um... People are kind of staring." Lucy pointed out.

She was right. Tourists and teenage girls were gawking at him as if he was some sort of public statue.

It was then that Gray noticed how far back Natsu and Lucy had moved. He was now the center of attention, while they just laughed at him from the safety of their distance.

If Gray had a list of the top ten times that he was most annoyed at Natsu, this would probably be number one. "Natsu, you bastard! Get your ass over here!" Gray yelled, ignoring the stares of all the random people passing by.

"Nah, don't wanna." Natsu taunted, resting his arm on Lucy's shoulder and the other on Happy's head.

Gray flinched when he saw Natsu carelessly lay an arm atop Lucy. What gave him the_ right_ to do that? It wasn't like he_ owned_ her. _Just because they're better friends doesn't mean he can touch her whenever he wants!_... Gray thought, his hands curled into fists.

"Gray, you should really go back to Fairy Tail and get your clothes. You usually don't walk around Magnolia naked like that." Happy suggested.

Gray just sighed, trying to let all the anger out. He _definitely_ wasn't going to let Natsu get to him. "Fine, whatever. Natsu, Lucy... enjoy your date!" He called out to them as he began running back to the guild.

"We're _not_ on a date!" Lucy quickly yelled after him.

But Gray still didn't turn around. What Lucy said was like music to his ears.

Grinning, he continued jogging back to Fairy Tail. All he'd wanted to know was that one thing: If Natsu and Lucy were on a date.

While he was running, and just barely out of Natsu's and Lucy's sight, he bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry!" He quickly apologized.

"No problem." A soft voice answered.

Gray instantly recognized the voice. He turned back to the girl, and his jaw dropped. "Lisanna? What are you doing out here?" He questioned. He knew she was supposed to be at the guild, helping everyone get the party ready.

"I, um... W-well..." She stammered, unable to form a sentence.

"Where you out buying something?" Gray asked, or more like suggested.

Lisanna instantly piped up. "Yeah! That's it." She said.

Gray narrowed his eyes. "Oh. What were you getting?" He asked, already knowing what her answer would probably be.

"I was... I was just buying, um..." She stammered again.

Gray sighed. "Okay, now what's the truth?" He asked, rolling his eyes slightly.

Lisanna looked down shamefully. "I was doing exactly what you came to do, Gray." She admitted, her white bangs shading her eyes.

Gray's eyes widened. "Huh? What are you talking about?" He asked, stunned by her response.

"I said, I was doing exactly what you were doing. That is, spying on Natsu and Lucy-san." She explained, her blue eyes filled with guilt.

At first, Gray was silent. He had no idea what to say.

"I know what you're thinking. That I must be crazy. Or obsessed. Or both." She said, still not meeting his eyes.

Gray quickly recovered from his shock. "Actually, I don't get what you mean. Why did you-"

"-Gray, I love Natsu. I came out here to see what him and Lucy were doing." She said, dropping the polite_ -san_ from her name; and voice suddenly sharp.

Gray just gawked at Lisanna. She was definitely not the same as she was before she came back from Edolas.

"I know, I know. You probably think I'm like a super ultra mega-crazy creeper now, but hey, you were stalking Lucy-san too. So you can't say anything." Lisanna said, looking as firm and composed as could be.

Gray tried to hold in a laugh. "And I thought... _Juvia_ was creepy. Now look at us." He said, and began laughing when he saw Lisanna did.

"And you wouldn't believe your Edolas Counterpart. The Gray of that world was constantly stalking the Juvia of Edolas." She said, still giggling.

But suddenly, Gray stopped chuckling. "Wait a second, whoa, back up. Did you just say you're in love with... _Natsu_?" He asked, his eyes wide as he was barely processing the information.

"Um, duh. I was his wife back when we were kids, remember? Happy was our son?" She recalled, making Gray remember back many years ago.

"Ohh yeah, I remember now. But, Natsu always _hated_ being called your husband. And you calling Happy your guys' son. I don't think he really liked that stupid 'House' thing you were always trying to play with him." Gray remembered, not quite thinking about the fact that Lisanna was listening to the words he was remembering out loud.

"Shut up, Gray!" Lisanna accidentally yelled, her face twisted with anger.

Gray just glanced at her.

And she then instantly turned red. "I'm sorry." She said quickly.

Gray shrugged it off. "It's cool. But, I really didn't know you still liked Natsu." He said, as they slowly began walking back to Fairy Tail together.

"Yeah, well, for me... feelings never change." She said, looking down at the cement sadly.

"Er, um... You'll be okay." Gray said, patting her head gently. He knew he sucked at making people feel better.

She looked up to him. "What about you, Gray? Are you in love with Lucy-san?" She asked, almost no emotion in her voice.

Gray stopped walking. He went into shock at the realization of the fact that _maybe_ there was just the slightest hint of possibility that he may indeed love Lucy.

"Gray? Gray, are you alright? GRAY!" Lisanna yelled, making him open his eyes.

_Wait, open my eyes?_... He was leaning against a tree, sitting on the ground; not too far away from Fairy Tail. "Hey, Lisanna... What happened?" He asked. They were no longer walking on the streets of Magnolia. He was on the ground and she was crouched next to him, reaching out her hand to help him up.

"You passed out when I asked you about Lucy-san." She explained quickly, as he got to his feet.

"Wow... Really? I just... I don't know." Gray didn't know what to say. But there was one thing he now knew for sure: He was in love with Lucy.

"I didn't mean to hit a soft spot or anything. I just wanted to know if you liked Lucy-san." Lisanna said, crossing her arms.

Gray dusted off his boxers. "Um... yes. I do like Lucy." He admitted, mostly to himself rather than to Lisanna.

She actually smiled a bit. "Then why don't you ask her out? Maybe then she'll lay off my Natsu-kun." Lisanna suggested, using the honorific _-kun_ to address Natsu intimately.

Her statement made Gray flinch. He looked at Lisanna, and even _she_ could see the disappointment in his eyes; both for her and Lucy.

"Look, Gray. I'm sorry. I've changed a lot since I left this world, and I hate it. I wish I could go back to before I was forced to leave. And I'm really sorry if I'm scaring you." She said, acting more like the Lisanna he used to know.

Gray just sighed. "It's alright, I guess. People change..." He said, leaning his back against the tree again.

"But, you _do_ understand the dilemma we're in, right?" She asked him, her voice not so soft and innocent anymore.

Gray gave her a weird look. "Wait... what?" He asked.

Lisanna facepalmed. She then took a deep breath and looked Gray straight in the eye. "I love Natsu. Juvia loves you. Natsu loves Lucy. _You_ love Lucy. Now, who does Lucy love? Hmm?" She asked, her hands on her hips.

Gray couldn't say anything for a moment. "Hold on... How do you know Natsu loves Lucy?" He asked, worry in his voice.

That got Lisanna's mood to change. Again. She went from being irritated to heartbroken. _Talk about bipolar._.. Gray thought as he watched Lisanna almost tear up.

"I know he does, I can tell. Out of habit, I always end up keeping an eye on them whenever they're together. But usually it's just when they're in the guild, but sometimes... I'll actually follow them if they leave..." She trailed off, her face red with embarrassment.

Gray just stared at her.

"What? I've been trying to stop. Especially following them. This is getting old." She mumbled solemnly.

Gray looked down, almost feeling like he was also going to tear up. "Do you think... that maybe... Lucy likes Natsu back?" He asked cautiously. He actually was afraid of finding out the answer, but just had to ask.

Lisanna nodded. "Probably." She answered plainly, while staring off into the distance; her expression impossible to read.

_Is she TRYING to hurt me like that?_... Gray couldn't help but wonder. The pain from the realization of Lucy possibly being in love with Natsu really got to him. He was almost about to shed a tear when he shook it off and punched the tree, yelling "THAT FLAMING IDIOT!"

Lisanna instantly turned around. "Hey! It's gonna be_ fine_, Gray. You want Lucy-san to be happy, well don't you?" She asked, her voice actually comforting.

Gray's anger ceased for the moment. Well of course he wanted her to be happy...

"Listen. We've both been through a lot today. Let's try not to be mad at the circumstances and just enjoy this party we're gonna have. I mean come on, when does Fairy Tail ever have parties?" She asked with a grin, and just a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"-But nothing. Let's just..." Lisanna wiped a tear from her eye. "Let Natsu and Lucy-san be happy. For now." She said, her voice cracking on her last sentence.

Gray looked at her again, and he could tell she was serious. _What's up with these crazy emotions?._.. he wondered. _Earlier she'd been telling me to ask out Lucy so Lucy would lay off Natsu. Now she's telling me to let them be happy...?_ "Fine, I agree. I'm just so new to all of this..." Gray said, deciding to forget everything that had happened since he left the guild to follow Natsu and Lucy.

Lisanna didn't respond. They both just stood there in silence, still under the tree where Gray had been leaning on when he'd woken up earlier.

Gray looks up into the sky; to see that it's already dark. And, _holy shit!_ "Lisanna, the party should be starting soon!" He reminded her.

She quickly piped up. "Oh, yeah! I forgot." She said. They then began running back over to Fairy Tail.

_So, I guess I'll just have to live with it._

_Lucy would definitely choose Natsu over me..._

* * *

Fairy Tail didn't look like a guild anymore.

It looked more like a club; complete with a disco ball, strobe lights, enormous speakers, a bar, and a DJ run by Mira and Cana.

They had definitely succeeded in turning the guild into a party scene. Master Makarov was supposed to be home by the next afternoon, so that pretty much meant no rules.

"Guys, be quiet! They're almost here!" Mira and Levy yelled, yet still in a hushed tone. Every member of Fairy Tail was in a hiding place, with all of the lights turned off.

And they waited patiently for Natsu, Lucy, and Happy to walk in through the guild door.

* * *

"That was sooo much fun!" Lucy exclaimed as she, Natsu, and Happy continued walking back to the guild.

It was already dark out, and Lucy _still_ didn't know exactly why Natsu had brought her out there again.

"Aye! Their faces looked like this." Happy said, then hilariously made a surprised face that made Natsu and Lucy crack up again.

"We have to do that again sometime. Maybe even bring some more friends with us too!" Natsu suggested.

Lucy and Happy nodded. Well, of course they'd had fun. They had just spent the last couple hours toilet-papering and egging houses. And the last house they'd covered with eggs and toilet paper, they'd nearly been caught and had to run as fast as they could through the night to avoid being caught.

At first, Lucy had thought it was all a stupid idea; that there was no fun in throwing eggs at houses and covering them with rolls and rolls of toilet paper. But Natsu had pleaded with the most adorable face, eyes big and his hands together as if in prayer as he begged her to do it. She had finally given in, and actually had a lot of fun.

But the thing that Lucy remembered the most was when she and Natsu were hiding behind a bush and Happy was in a tree. Natsu had been huddled so close to her that she felt as though she was crouching near a fireplace. His warm knee had pressed into hers, and he didn't even bother to move it away.

At that moment, Lucy had realized just how much she truly meant to him. He was always watching out for her, saving her as if she was his damsel in distress, and taking care of her whenever she needed. _He was always so sweet, caring, protective, funny, and kind._

_No one means more to me than Natsu..._ Lucy had thought as she gazed at him.

And as she was walking with him and Happy back to Fairy Tail, she found herself wishing for more time to spend with Natsu.

* * *

After a few minutes of complete silence, everyone inside the guild was about to call it quits. "Aw, they're not coming. Turn the lights on, Mira-nee." Lisanna told her sister, who was hiding behind the bar counter.

"Shush! They _will_ be here soon, Juvia promised. She's a professional stalker, rememeber?" Cana answered Lisanna back immediately.

Lisanna narrowed her eyes in annoyance, even though it wasn't visible in the darkness. "I wasn't asking you, Cana."

Juvia couldn't see in the dark, but she looked over to where Lisanna's voice came from. "But Lisanna, Juvia is positive. They were around the corner last time Juvia checked." Juvia claimed. But then, she remembered seeing something else. "Or... not." She said suddenly, her voice sounding a bit dazed.

"_WHAT_?!" Everyone yelled immediately.

Juvia gasped, and quickly said: "Juvia didn't mean to scare you! It's just... Juvia saw the Lucy and the Natsu hiding earlier, for unknown reasons. They were huddled close behind a bush, whispering together." She explained.

Gray facepalmed. "You're kidding, right? What could they have been doing hiding behind a_ bush_ together?" Gray asked, irritation in his voice.

"Yeah! Natsu's not a man if he can't remember his job to bring Lucy back by eight." Elfman nearly yelled. "Now will someone turn on the lights?!" He added, rising up from his hiding spot

"Shush! I hear something, guys!" Wendy whisper-yelled; being a Dragon Slayer, she was the only one who could hear well from a long distance.

And everyone fell silent. Soon, the guild door opened slowly.

"Hey, w-what's going on, Natsu?" Lucy asked nervously, just as the door slammed shut. "And who shut the door?!" She yelled, immediately turning around and attempting to pry it open.

"Don't even try." Natsu said, his voice gravely serious.

Lucy couldn't believe what she heard. She knew it was Natsu's voice, but something about it seemed... different.

He grabbed her wrist tightly, and pulled her close.

"What are you doing...?!" She asked, her face burning and heart throbbing.

It was pitch-black, so she couldn't see a thing. Just hear Natsu's voice, which oddly sounded _seductive_ and feel his warm hand suddenly grab her other wrist.

"You weren't trying to escape, where you? 'Cause you're not leaving." He said, his voice smooth and, dare Lucy think this, sexy.

She could feel the warmth of his body heat; he had pulled her pretty close to him. Too close for her comfort. But before she could say anything, he twisted her around so she wasn't facing the door, and made her face the darkness in front of her. He let go of her wrists and gave her a gentle push forward when Lucy suddenly heard a soft 'Now' and the lights immediately turned on.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone in Fairy Tail yelled, jumping up from their hiding places and making fireworks with their magic.

Lucy inhaled sharply. "What's going on?!" She yelled, overwhelmed at all the decorations and colorful lights.

"We told you it was all a surprise, didn't we Lucy?" Happy asked, now appearing in front of her.

Lucy's mouth was still hanging open. "Well, yeah, but I didn't know it was a SURPRISE PARTY!?" She yelled again.

Natsu came up and placed his hand on Lucy's back, causing her to turn around and face him. "It was Levy and Mira's idea. Since you were gone for a while and injured pretty badly, we all decided to have this party for you." He explained with a grin.

Lucy smiled, and noticed Levy and Mira waving at her. "Wow! I have to go thank them!" She exclaimed, and ran over to her friends.

"You do that." Natsu called after her, but eyeing a long table full of nothing but junk food.

It only took a few hours for half the people in the guild to get drunk and pass out. Wendy and Romeo, some of the only few people who were still completely sober, would always help the passed-out people to lay down somewhere safe.

But even so, mostly everyone in Fairy Tail was still partying hard. They were all dancing with the speakers blasting and strobe lights flashing... except Lucy.

All of her close friends were dancing with someone; Levy with Gajeel, Mira with Laxus, Cana with Jet, Lisanna with Elfman, and Juvia with Gray. (Or, more like Juvia was forcing Gray to dance with her.)

Lucy sighed, and continued to sip her alcohol-free drink.

Or at least, what she _thought_ was alcohol-free.

She began to look for Erza. She hadn't seen her for at least an hour, after she'd told her that she needed to meet someone, somewhere.

* * *

"But why do you have to leave? Why right now?" Lucy had asked, trying to hide the hurt feelings in her voice

"This is very important, Lucy. I may never get this chance again, and I hope you truly understand." Erza had responded.

Lucy sighed, wishing she could know what was important enough for Erza to leave in the middle of the night, halfway through a party.

"I am deeply sorry to disappoint you. I wanted to stay and celebrate, too." She had told Lucy, trying to comfort her.

Lucy just nodded, which somehow made Erza feel worse.

She sighed. "Okay, if this makes it better... I'll tell you why I have to leave." Erza announced.

Lucy suddenly looked up. "Really? Why is it, then?" She asked curiously.

Erza looked down, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "It's Jellal." She said quietly.

Lucy's eyes instantly widened. "J-_Jellal_? Wow... I didn't know-" Lucy began, starting to feel guilty for making Erza tell her.

"-It's fine, Lucy. I'll be back soon." Erza claimed. And with that, she was off.

* * *

Lucy was now just sitting down at a table, not wanting to go and dance by herself.

Little did she know, there was a certain ice mage who was staring at her from across the room.

_There's something wrong again_... Gray thought as he watched Lucy._ Maybe I should-_

Juvia instantly cut off his thoughts as she continued yanking on his hands, forcing him to dance. "Gray-sama, please cooperate!" She yelled, her breath reeking of alcohol.

Gray sighed. He knew he couldn't be mean to her again or else she'd probably cry till the guild was flooded again.

As Gray looked back to Lucy one more time, he instantly regretted his decision of staying with Juvia.

It was Natsu.

He was walking over to Lucy. And he was now pulling her away from all the chaos of the party into a room off to the side, one that Gray happened to know for sure had no electricity. No light.

He was leading Gray's precious Lucy into a dark room, just the two of them. Alone.

Gray felt his teeth clench, and his hands curled up into angry fists.

* * *

Lucy finished off her drink, and felt herself burp. "Wow, that was weird." She said out loud. But then she began to smell the scent of beer. "What the...?" She wondered out loud, and then realized it. She hadn't just finished an alcohol-free drink. It was spiked with something strong.

_Oh no. This is bad. I've never drank something like that before!_... Lucy thought in panic. _But wait... If this is supposed to be really strong, why don't I feel anything yet?_... she wondered as she stood up.

And then it hit her.

She immediately felt dizzy, and grabbed the counter for support. "Uh oh..." She said out loud, and was about to fall over when she suddenly felt some strong, muscular arms surround her.

"Lucy? You okay?" Natsu asked, slightly worried.

Lucy slowly opened her eyes and met Natsu's. Once she saw his adorable face, her eyes lit up. "Natsu-kun!" She squealed with joy.

Natsu chuckled at the suffix _-kun_ that Lucy had used after his name. It was usually used when addressing a boyfriend/girlfriend, but he didn't mind at the moment. "Hey. How's it goin'?" He asked, releasing her and letting her stand.

She suddenly pouted. "I missed you." She said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah? And Lucy... are you sure you're okay? You look kind of... different." He observed, glancing at her up and down.

She quickly uncrossed her arms. "I said I missed you, Natsu-kun!" She exclaimed, and pinched his cheeks in adoration.

"W-What? And since when am I Natsu-_kun_?" He asked suspiciously.

Lucy just giggled. "Your face is so warm." She cooed.

He removed her hands from his face, and led her away from all the noise and craziness of the party.

"Where are we going, Natsu-kun?" Lucy asked cutely, grabbing his hand.

He tried to let go, but she wouldn't budge. He sighed before saying: "Can you not add that to the end of my name? It's kind of weird." He said, glancing back at her.

She suddenly got tears in her eyes. "Oh no! Natsu-kun is mad at me!" She wailed, and covered her face with her palms.

"Hey, I'm not mad!" Natsu quickly told her, then pointed at his now-grinning face. "See?"

Lucy sniffled, then looked up. Once she saw his smile, she grinned and squealed: "Yaay!"

Natsu didn't know what to do or say.

Something was up with Lucy though, he knew that.

Once they got to the room, he tried to turn the light on. But, the switch wasn't working. "Hey, what gives...?" He wondered out loud.

Then he heard the sound of a door shutting.

"Hey, Lucy? Where are you?" He asked, glancing around; but mostly seeing pure darkness.

"Right here." She said quietly, appearing in front of him.

Natsu squinted. "Oh, there you are." He said, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness.

"I'm buzzing, aren't I?" She asked solemnly, walking closer to him.

"Yeah, just a little bit I think. I thought you didn't drink...?" He asked curiously, backing away from her a bit.

She simply stepped a little closer. "I usually don't drink alcohol. But someone must've put some in my drink earlier just to be funny." She explained, as Natsu's back hit the wall.

"Is that so..." He said, avoiding eye contact from her as she closed the space between them.

"Natsu-kun, can I tell you something?" She asked, lightly pressing her body to his.

He squirmed a bit, feeling uncomfortable. "Umm sure I guess." He told her as he felt his face begin to overheat.

Lucy didn't hesitate. "I think I might like you." She said plainly, avoiding his eyes and placing her hands on his shoulders.

Natsu suddenly felt his heart skip a beat. He didn't respond right away, but just as he was about to, Lucy lowered her arms down to his chest; and slowly began to feel him.

_No, this isn't happening!_... he panicked, unsure of what to do.

Lucy finally looked up at him. "Well...?" She whispered, moving her face closer to Natsu's. Her lips lingered near his, waiting for his answer.

"L-Lucy, I..." He began, then squeezed his eyes shut. Something about Lucy being so close to him made him feel good.

"You what?" She asked gently, pressing her forehead to his.

He suddenly remembered back when Lucy was still injured. The night when the power had gone out and he had to crawl in bed with her to keep her warm. He kind of, actually... liked being that close to her.

But he shouldn't have. "Lucy, we can't be doing this. You're my partner. I..." He stopped when he felt Lucy gently grab his face.

"You almost kissed me that night, didn't you Natsu-kun?" She reminded him.

He felt his cheeks burn. "But... That night when we had to sleep together... I only did it to keep you alive. Don't you know that?"

Lucy slid her hands down to the sides of his neck, her face still close to his. "So you didn't... Like being close to me at all?" She asked quietly, almost a whisper.

Natsu was surprised. His heart was beating out of control when he said, "Well, um... Of course I did-" He stopped when he felt Lucy lean even more into him. His back was already on the wall, and she just pressed her body even more against him.

"Then why don't you like me, Natsu-kun?" She taunted, her voice still a murmur.

And at that moment, he lost all control. Her face was still near his, and he attacked her lips. He wrapped his arms around her thin waist and held her tightly, causing her to moan in delight.

The kiss... Their_ first_ kiss, was nothing like what either of them would have expected.

It was pretty rough at first, and Natsu was in control. Lucy was so stunned at first that she didn't move. But soon, she began to kiss him back.

She had wanted her first kiss to be short and sweet, but that wasn't the case here.

Only halfway through the kiss, Natsu opened his mouth and ran his wet tongue over Lucy's closed, delicate lips. Her eyes quickly opened in surprise, and she tried to open her mouth for air. But Natsu must have mistaken that for free entrance, because he then slipped his warm tongue into her mouth.

She moans as she feels their tongues meet, and Natsu growls with slight aggression. Slowly, he teased the inside of her lower lip with his tongue; causing a moan to escape Lucy's mouth again.

_I wonder how he can be such a great kisser._.. Lucy thought as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

As they fall deeper into the kiss, Natsu slowly slips his warm hands up Lucy's shirt. She shivers with pleasure at the contact, and holds him even tighter.

Just as things between them were getting intense and passionate, they never noticed the two figures looking through the door's small window.

It was Gray and Lisanna.

They saw everything.

* * *

"That's it... I can't take it anymore." Lisanna whispered, moving away from the window; her voice shaky and eyes filling with tears.

Gray couldn't believe his eyes. He backed away from the window, and felt as if he was in a daze. A never-ending trance from the shock of what he had just witnessed.

"How could this happen to us..." Lisanna whispered, holding her hand over her heart, looking down and trying to blink back tears.

Gray snapped out of his daze. "I know! This is so stupid. Natsu and Lucy as a couple... That just doesn't make sense!" He yelled angrily, turning his back to the door.

Lisanna suddenly punched him on the shoulder. "That's not what I meant, idiot!" She exclaimed, much to Gray's surprise.

His eyes widened, and he faced Lisanna. He rubbed his shoulder, though it didn't really hurt that much. "What do you mean then?" He questioned.

Lisanna sighed in exasperation. "I meant, how could this happen to me and Natsu. I had him, he was mine. I was ninety-nine point nine percent sure that I was his first love, and that I'd be his first kiss. But no, I just had to be teleported to another world for three years, and then there just _had_ to be some slut here who came and stole him away from me while I was gone. Before I left, I was just... so..._ close_..." She explained, wincing at her last few words. Her eyes squeezed shut with anger, and she tried to keep from wanting to hurt someone.

Gray just simply stared at her, wondering when and why she was in Edolas did she turn into a crazy, obsessive psychopath.

"_Well_?" She said, now facing Gray head-on. "What are we going to do about this?" She glared at him, and put her hands on her hips.

Gray didn't say anything for a moment. Lisanna was about to leave in an angry huff when he suddenly said, "You were never Natsu's first love."

Lisanna's eyes widened for a moment, but then quickly narrowed again. "_What_ did you say?" She hissed.

"I said, you were never Natsu's first love. He_ never_ liked you as more than a friend. Trust me, I would know. And he was never 'yours' either. All these years I've known him... He's never acted different around a girl until Lucy came. In fact... I'm pretty sure Natsu has liked Lucy since he _met_ her. And he probably likes her even more than I do. So you know what, _bitch_? I kind of support them now." He finished, his eyes amused as he watched Lisanna's face furiously turn red.

Gray smiled sweetly, which was something he hadn't done in a long time. "Sayonara." He said, and was about to walk away... When he felt Lisanna's hand on his shoulder.

"Wait." She said, her voice an emotionless monotone.

He stopped walking, and faced her again. "Yeah?"

She didn't say anything; just stared at the ground. But after a couple minutes, she looked up at him and said: "...I'm sorry." She apologized, her face now back to normal; except for a slight blush on her cheeks.

Gray just grinned, and led her back to the party.

* * *

Back on the other side of the wall, Natsu and Lucy were completely oblivious to what was going on just outside the door.

"Hey, stop it... That tickles." Lucy whispered, then giggled.

Natsu just let out an "Mmm..." As he continued to lay sweet, warm kisses down her neck.

Lucy began to relax, and let Natsu do what he pleased.

She inhaled sharply, though, when she felt his soft lips linger a little too close to her chest. But even so, he lazily ran his tongue back up to the side of her neck.

"Lucy... you taste so good..." Natsu mumbled quietly, as he slowly brought his lips back to hers and kissed her gently.

It was a passionate, long, lingering kiss. Lucy finally pulled away and whispered, "Natsu, come on. We're missing our own party." She pointed out quietly.

Natsu pouted. "But... I don't want them. I want... _you_." He mumbled, a slight blush on his cheeks.

Lucy smiled. "I like that answer." She said, then moved away from Natsu. She peered out the door's window and noticed that most everyone was still on the dance floor.

She didn't notice Natsu slowly creep up to her. He gently grabbed her waist from behind, and held her tightly against his torso. He rested his chin on her shoulder, and turned his face slightly to kiss her on her cheek.

"Natsu..." Lucy began.

"Just a minute." He mumbled, and hugged her even tighter.

She just smiled, turned around, and kissed his warm lips.

* * *

Lucy's eyes fluttered open slowly. What time is it... she wondered as she gazed around her surroundings.

And gasped.

She was still in the guild. It was morning, and sunlight was poring in through all the windows. Everyone in Fairy Tail was passed out on the floor, scattered all over the place.

Lucy was the first to wake up. But what made her jaw-drop the most was the fact that she was in the middle of the huge dance floor,_ laying on top of Natsu._

_Okay... WHAT the HELL happened last night?._.. Lucy couldn't recall much. All she really remembered was having fun for at least an hour until most of her friends ditched her to go dance with the guys.

_And that's when Erza left_... Lucy remembered, thinking back to when Erza swore she'd come back... after meeting up with Jellal.

But that still didn't have an answer as to why Lucy had woken up on top of _Natsu_, of all people. She slowly got up, trying not to wake him. But then, she felt a warm hand gently grab her arm.

"Lucy, no..." Natsu mumbled in his sleep, before letting out a loud snore.

Lucy raised her eyebrows._ Is he really dreaming of me?.._. she wondered as she gently removed his hand from her arm and got up.

Then she noticed all the beer bottles scattered everywhere.

And remembered everything that had happened last night.

_Oh my god... Me and Natsu... We... And I said... And then he... WHAT THE HELL?!..._ Lucy's head was spinning. She could barely process everything that she was recalling from last night, it was all so hard to believe.

_How could I do that?! I wasn't even THAT drunk. But still... I can't believe it... I didn't mean to do it...-_

The sound of Natsu sleep talking made Lucy stop thinking for a moment. "No, Lisanna... I have... Lucy..." He mumbled again, the words harder to understand this time.

Lucy just stood over Natsu, watching him sleep. She still couldn't believe what had happened between them, or understand what gave her the courage to do all that she did. (Even when drunk.)

But there were some things that Lucy now knew for sure:

1.) Natsu was her first kiss.

2.) Natsu might like her.

And 3.) She may like Natsu back.

Lucy shivered at the thought of her and Natsu. She still couldn't decide for sure... Did she actually like him? And if she did... Would he really return the feelings?

_But I've never dated anyone before... Would Natsu really be my first boyfriend?._.. Lucy looked down at Natsu again, and marveled at how cute he looked. _He always looks adorable when he's sleeping..._ Lucy thought as she watched him rotate in his sleep.

_But what was that he said, about me and Lisanna? What could it have meant?._.. Lucy slowly began to clean up the guild, picking up trash while being careful not to wake anyone._ I really hope the master doesn't come home to see us all like this._

Then Lucy remembered about what she and Natsu were supposed to tell Master Makarov. The Demon princess. Her stolen gate keys. The unimaginably strong guards that they were supposed to get past first.

She sighed, once again feeling the sadness of not having her celestial spirits with her anymore. _But Natsu promised he'd get them back for me, and I trust him completely._

Lucy continued to clean up, and began remembering even more details about what had happened last night... Specifically between her and Natsu.

_There were kisses. Moans, tongue, and (OMG) rubbing._

_We had left the room, and were on the dance floor. We started making out in front of everyone, and they all cheered for 'Fairy Tail's newest couple'. Me and Natsu started dancing, and that's when the rubbing began. Or, to be more exact, the grinding._

Lucy gasped at the memory. _No. No. Nonono NO! How did we even know how to do that?!_... Lucy looked back to the dance floor, where she had woken up. _After a while, me and Natsu must have passed out there. And that's why I woke up with my head on his shoulder and his arm around my waist..._

* * *

"Man, that was such a great party!" Elfman yelled as he was getting up.

"You just barely woke up?" Mira questioned. She looked around the guild, and noticed that Elfman was indeed the last to wake up.

It was already past four in the afternoon, and the master still wasn't back yet.

"Why isn't he here yet? Do you think something happened to him?!" Natsu growled as he paced back and forth.

"Natsu, chill. He's a big boy. He can take care of himself." Gray pointed out.

"Yeah, that's true. Natsu-san, why don't you go talk to Lucy-san or something while you're waiting? I'm sure the master won't be long." Wendy assured Natsu with a smile.

Natsu stopped pacing. "Lucy...?" He repeated, and his eyes went wide.

Soon, he was laughing. Laughing so hard that people walking by began to stare at him.

"What's so funny? Isn't Lucy your girlfriend now?" Carla asked from Wendy's arms.

Natsu suddenly stopped laughing. He looked down at Carla, and gave her a serious look. "I don't know. Is she?"

Carla sighed and put a fluffy white paw over her face. "I shoudn't be the one to answer that, Natsu." She responded, earning a head nod from Wendy.

_Something happened between us last night, I just know it.._. Natsu thought as he looked away from them, and began to glance around for Lucy. He hadn't seen her since he had woken up, and he was still pretty fuzzy on the details about what happened between he and Lucy that night. "Yo Gray, you seen Lucy?" He asked, scratching the back of his head. _But... exactly WHAT happened that night?_

Gray shook his head, then looked straight at Natsu. "No, but... are you really dating Lucy?" He asked, trying not to sound jealous.

Natsu grinned. "Guess I am." He said, then began to search the guild for her.

As he was walking around Fairy Tail, he kept getting pats on the back and head nods from the other members of the guild; mostly from the guys. He didn't see what the big deal was, though.

But as he was passing by Mira, she grabbed his scarf and yanked him over behind the bar counter.

"Ouch! What was that for, Mirajane?" He asked, rubbing his neck. "You almost choked me to death." He complained.

Mira shrugged it off. "Sorry." She said quickly.

"And why are we hiding behind the counter? I'm looking for someone." Natsu added.

Mira rolled her eyes. "Just wait a minute. Now, is what I heard really true? You're dating Lucy-san, Lisanna likes you, but Gray also likes Lucy-san, and Juvia's so worked up about him that she almost quit the guild when she found out he's into Lucy-san?" Mira asked, her need for gossip taking over her normally sweet personality.

Natsu's jaw dropped. "Juvia's gonna quit Fairy Tail? But why the hell would _anyone_ ever wanna leave Fairy Tail?!" He asked, stunned at that one piece of news.

Mira's eyes widened. "She probably won't, but... Is that_ all_ you picked up from what I just told you?" She asked desperately.

Natsu simply shrugged. "Guess so."

Mira sighed, wishing she could get more information out of him. _Cana must be the only other one with a need for gossip..._ Mira thought. "So you _are_ dating Lucy-san?" She asked, her eyes now hopeful.

Natsu didn't say anything for a minute. "Dunno. I'm guessing yes...?" He told her truthfully.

Mira squealed with delight. "Awww, that's so cute! I just_ knew_ you guys would end up together!" She exclaimed, shaking Natsu's shoulders forcefully.

Natsu's face began to turn green. "Mirajane, stop..." He managed to say.

She quickly stopped shaking him. "Sorry 'bout that. I'm just so excited for the two of you." She told him, grinning widely.

But then she remembered about her little sister. "Hey, Natsu... Can I ask you one more thing?" She began, her face now a bit more serious.

"Go ahead."

Mira looked down. "Ummm... Have you ever liked Lisanna?" She asked sheepishly.

Natsu didn't look surprised. "As a friend, of course. But..." He started.

"But what?" Mira asked, her voice sounding a bit hopeful.

"But, I would never kiss her. So, I don't like her in that way. Never have. Duh." Natsu said, then began to laugh.

Mira rolled her eyes. "Okay, just wanted to know. And also... when did you become so much less dense?" She asked, surprised at how Natsu was being so nonchalant about this whole conversation.

Natsu shrugged. "I'm not as dense and low-minded as you all think I am, trust me." He told her, avoiding her eyes as he spoke.

And for a moment, Mira was speechless.

Natsu grinned again. "I'm gonna go look for Lucy now, okay? I really... _really_ need to find her." And with that, he was off.

Leaving Mira with an endless amount of 'Awww!' in her mind.

* * *

Lucy couldn't take it anymore.

She was so embarrassed to be around Natsu that when he woke up, she decided to avoid him until she was fully ready to face him.

It was now almost five, and she still couldn't bare to see his face.

_I can't keep avoiding him forever. He's gonna notice. And he's gonna come and look for me and I'll be a nervous wreck and... This... is so... bad!..._ Lucy was behind the guild, near the river... practically having a heart attack.

_I should just go home..._ Lucy thought as she gazed up at the sky. It was winter, so the days were shorter and the sun was already beginning to set. Lucy just sat there beneath a tree for a few minutes, watching the sun go down.

And then she heard footsteps. _Oh no... That better not be..._ Lucy's horror was confirmed as she heard Natsu's voice call out to her.

"Hey, Lucy! That you?" He asked as he ran up to her.

Lucy slowly turned around, and stood up. "Natsu, I-"

He cut off her sentence as he ran over to her and gave her a short hug, much to Lucy's surprise. "Lucy. I missed you." He said, giving her a sweet smile.

Lucy attempted to smile. "Oh, yeah... thanks." She said awkwardly.

Natsu just grinned. "Where've you been all day?"

Lucy looked down at the grass, unable to meet his eyes. "Natsu... last night, did we really..." She began, but didn't know exactly what to say. She almost felt as if the party was half a dream, half real.

"Huh? Did we what?" He asked, now confused.

Lucy looked straight at him. "Last night, did we... kiss?" She asked, her voice slightly shaky.

Natsu grinned sheepishly. He began to rub the back of his head with his hand, and blushed as he said: "We sure did."

Lucy didn't say anything at first. She was stunned, and began blushing like crazy.

But before she could get a single word out, Natsu leaned in, and gave her a quick kiss on her lips. "Like that." He told her, still grinning.

The moment Lucy felt Natsu's warm lips over hers, her already-pounding heart began throbbing so fast that she feared a real heart attack.

"I say we go back to the guild now, okay?" Natsu asked, then grabbed her arm and pulled her back inside Fairy Tail.

As they were walking, Lucy felt like a total idiot. But even so, she felt complete. Happy. Content. And warm, too.

Although, Lucy was simply too stubborn to realize that she was actually in love with Natsu Dragneel.

Normally she would've yanked her arm away from Natsu in embarrassment, but this time she felt a little different. _Natsu, I'm just grateful to have you as a friend and teammate... _

She then grabbed his hand, the one that was holding her arm. And she continued to hold it as she brought it back down, going so far as to interlock her fingers with his...

Natsu pouted for a moment, a blush creeping up into his cheeks.

But even so, Natsu began to lean closer to Lucy as they continued walking; and didn't even bother to let go of her hand.

And when they stepped back into the guild, they noticed a small crowd surrounding one person.

The master. He was back.

"Ready to tell him?" Natsu asked, squeezing Lucy's hand.

"Of course. We have to." She responded, and squeezed his hand back.

They cut through the small crowd, and faced Makarov with a determined look in both of their eyes.

* * *

"What? You're telling me they were stolen by a Demon princess and her minions?" Makarov asked, just to make sure.

They were in his office, the door locked and window shades down.

Natsu nodded. "Loke told us they were extremely powerful. And that just me, him, and Lucy wouldn't be enough to face him. I trust what he says, so I think we should take some of the S-class mages along with us besides Erza." He explained.

Makarov closed his eyes and began to think. "I see. What you're going up against must be at least equivalent to the strength of an entire dark guild..." He began.

"Yeah... so do you think you can let Mira and maybe even Gildarts come with us?" Lucy asked in a shaky voice, terrified of having to face the powerful wizards without enough strength on their team.

Makarov sighed. "But with Erza, Mira, _and_ Gildarts gone, it will leave the guild vulnerable. I don't know if I can have that many of my strongest wizards gone, in case of emergency." He explained slowly.

Natsu slammed his fist on Makarov's desk. "But we have to! Even with them gone, the members of Fairy Tail can still take care of themselves. You just have to trust us. And don't you care about _REVENGE?!_ Those bastards stole Lucy's celestial spirits!" Natsu yelled angrily.

Makarov looked Natsu straight in the eye. "Of course I care, Natsu! They hurt one of my children, and stole what was rightfully hers. But I have to think about the rest of the guild's safety." He explained, his voice sharp.

Natsu growled with frustration, and turned his back on the master.

And for a few minutes, none of the three said anything.

Lucy could feel the air thicken with tension. She was about to speak up and say something to Makarov, but he sighed and spoke up first.

"Natsu, tell me one good reason why you should bring the S-class mages with you on this mission." Makarov commanded.

Natsu sighed and faced Makarov. He was about to speak... when a puff of smoke suddenly appeared in front of him.

Lucy gasped. "Loke?!" She exclaimed.

"I'm here now, my princess. Don't you worry about a thing." Loke assured her, then faced Natsu. "Good to see ya." He mumbled quickly.

Makarov took a closer look at Loke. "Loke... is that really you?" He asked, squinting at him again.

Loke nodded. "Yeah it's me, master." He answered, remembering that the master had never seen him in his celestial spirit form. "Now, I came here to explain a few things. But I don't have much time, so this has to be fast." Loke told them, glancing at all three of the mages.

"Well what is it? And I thought all of Lucy's spirit keys were stolen...?" Makarov questioned.

Loke nodded again. "I'll explain that later. But listen, what Natsu and Lucy were saying was the truth. Even though we're only going to have to get through a few people to get back Lucy's keys, this is definitely the most dangerous job anyone in Fairy Tail will ever take on. The wizards that stole her keys are Skylar Blackveil; the Demon Slayer, Kota Silvers; the Wind Dragon Slayer, and Darrion Blaze; the Sun Magic mage."

After Loke finished talking, Natsu and Lucy glanced back at the master.

And couldn't believe what they saw.

Makarov Dreyar, the ultimate master of the infamous Fairy Tail guild, was speechless.

"And ya wanna hear the best part? The girl they stole the keys for... was none other than the great Demon princess, the lovely miss Artemis Luna."

Makarov was suddenly shaking with fear and anger. "No, this can't be..." He began.

"Master, are you okay?" Lucy asked, worried. She had never seen the master in this condition.

"This can't be! If you're talking about the Demon Empire of Edolas..." He suddenly collapsed.

"Master!" They all yelled with worry. Lucy ran up to him, and help him up.

"I'm sorry about that, my children. Now, I fully understand just how dire this situation is. So I grant you permission to take along my S-class mages, but only Erza and Mira. I'm afraid Gildarts is on a mission halfway across Fiore at the moment." He announced.

Lucy sighed in relief. But, the master wasn't done yet. "And I highly recommend you take along Gray and Wendy also. You will definitely need their help with this." He told them affirmatively.

"But, no! It'll be too dangerous for Wendy. Maybe even for Gray, too. I didn't want to take too many people, because they'll just get hurt." Natsu exclaimed, anger slightly in his voice.

Makarov faced him, and looked him straight in the eye. "Now, listen to me, Natsu. These wizards are far more powerful than you could ever imagine. Easily the strongest you'll ever be up against. Believe me, I know this all too well... Because not even I, the guild master of Fairy Tail, could defeat them." Makarov explained solemnly.

Natsu, Lucy, and Loke all inhaled sharply at the news. They were so taken aback at hearing those words that they didn't speak again for several minutes.

Makarov faced the window in shame. His back was to them as he said, "But I have faith in all of you. With your combined magic, you can stop them. I know it in my heart. And just because I couldn't do it, doesn't mean that none of you will be able to." He told them, his voice just above a whisper.

Natsu and Lucy looked at each other in shock. If the master couldn't even defeat them, then this would almost be like attempted suicide.

* * *

"Me?" Mira questioned, pointing at herself in confusion.

"Yes, you." Natsu confirmed, arms crossed as he pouted slightly.

"But... Why Mira-nee?" Lisanna asked curiously. She was standing next to her sister; facing Natsu, Lucy, and Master Makarov.

"This mission will be very dangerous. They need more than one S-class mage besides Erza to go with them. And I need you, Mirajane, to be the one to accompany them." Makarov explained to Mira.

"Ohhh, I see. Then it's fine, I'll be happy to go with them." Mira responded sweetly.

"Really? Thank you so much, Mira-san!" Lucy exclaimed, then ran up and hugged her.

"No problem! Don't ever hesitate to ask me for help, Lucy-san." Mira told her with a grin.

Lisanna watched them for a moment, then eyed Natsu. She walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "So you guys needed some help, huh?" She teased casually.

Natsu shrugged her hand away in annoyance. "It's not what you think, Lisanna. We're not weak. The wizards who we're going up against... They're the strongest anyone in Fairy Tail's ever faced." He explained, slightly angry that she'd took it all as a joke.

Lisanna was speechless for a moment. "Oh... Well I um, didn't know..." She began, furious with herself on the inside but calm and worried on the outside.

Before she could say anything else, Mira grabbed her hand. "Hey, why don't you come along with us too? The more help, the better." She told her sister cheerfully.

"But, Mira-nee... I won't be of much help..." She whined.

"Nonsense! You're perfectly strong, and you're coming!" Mira commanded, a slight pout on her face.

"I guess that makes seven of us then, huh?" Gray commented from the side, leaning on the wall.

"It does. If Lisanna comes, then it'll be me, her, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Wendy, and Mira." Erza confirmed, then faced the master. "Where is Wendy, anyway?" She asked, and began to glance around the guild.

"Right here." Wendy suddenly appeared, Juvia by her side.

"Alright then. Now, when will you all be departing?" Makarov asked, looking at Erza and Mira.

They started to discuss their plans, but Lucy began to tune them out. _I really hope we find them... And don't get too injured in the process..._ Lucy began thinking, then looked down shamefully._ And if one of them dies trying to retrieve my keys, it'll all be my fault...-_

Lucy suddenly felt a warm arm around her shoulder, disrupting her thoughts. "You alright, Lucy?" Natsu asked, looking slightly worried.

She shrugged off his arm. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." She said, then attempted to smile. It came out more like an awkward smirk, though.

Natsu simply watched her for a moment. "Okay then. But if something's bothering you, tell me." He said, a dead-serious expression on his face as he looked Lucy straight in the eye.

She instantly looked down, her hair shading over her eyes. "I will." She promised, her voice shaky and just above a whisper.

Natsu was about to tell her something when they suddenly heard a loud shriek. "_Kyaaa_! NO! Juvia will not be away from Gray-sama for that long!" Juvia wailed, tears appearing in her eyes.

Gray just glanced at her, annoyance visible in his face. "Who _cares_? It's not you who gets to decide how long we're gone." He told her, arms crossed.

"But, Gray-sama! Lucy might fall in love with you!" She shrieked, her arms flailing all over the place.

"It doesn't matter!" He argued back.

Most of the guild was just watching and laughing at their little argument. Lucy, however, turned crimson red with embarrassment.

And when the time came that the seven powerful wizards began their mission to set off and defeat the Demon princess and her minions, only two of the mages hung back and pouted.

"This sucks." Gray mumbled.

"It does." Lisanna agreed.

The two of them were lingering behind the crowd; Erza, Wendy, and Mira were in front, pulling the luggage and talking about who-knows-what. Natsu and Lucy were a good six feet behind them, but still walking about six feet in front of Gray and Lisanna.

Gray kept his eyes on Lucy. Lisanna kept her eyes on Natsu. They were both just staring at them, watching their every move.

And as Natsu and Lucy are walking, they tend to gravitate subconsciously toward each other; causing both Gray and Lisanna to flinch.

Gray just sighs, and looks away.

The sun was still setting, and the sky overhead was streaked with beautiful shades of orange, gold, and pink.

But Gray's mood didn't lighten. Lately whenever he was around Natsu and Lucy, he felt like a looming glacier that they swerved to avoid; and in his case, the glacier part was only half metaphor.

The same would go for Lisanna. It was as though she was an enormous, man-eating cougar that would scare Natsu and Lucy into keeping a safe, far away distance from. An enormous, man-eating cougar that she actually _could_ turn into, if she wanted.

But even so, they kept on walking. For the sake of their fellow guild member... even though _that certain guild member_ was the source of all their dreadful grief.

And right when Gray and Lisanna thought they couldn't feel any worse, they saw something else that made their blood run cold.

Natsu. He'd put his arm around Lucy's waist, pulled her close, and kissed her.


	5. A Look Into Their World

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello my lovely readers! It's your girl CelineFullbuster (; Thanks so much to all my amazing reviewers! You guys are amazing~! Anyway, hope you all didn't mind that I made Lisanna a bit different and umm *cough cough BIPOLAR cough cough*... I just need SOME sort of antagonist, y'know? xD Oh wait there's Artemis & the Demons... Never mind then, you caught me... I'm secretly a Natsu x Lisanna hater ._. 'Causeee... I'm FOREVER a NaLu shipper! DUH!... Sooo yeah, here's chapter 5! This one will be a bit shorter than the last, but I'll update again later tonight. This chapter's mostly about the Demons P.O.V., so if you find it boring then I guess you can skip it. =P Anyway love you all!  
~ With much love, CelineFullbuster ~  
Enjoy, my darlings. ;)**_

"Please, dear, will you explain to me what their true powers are?" The Demon Queen asked her husband, while they were sitting at their thrown watching their slaves work.

The Demon King sighed at first, and didn't say anything.

The Queen looked away, annoyed. "I don't understand why you won't tell me about their capabilities. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were hiding something from me." She announced, her voice full of distrust.

The King glanced at her, and sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you." He said, giving up. "The leader, Skylar Blackveil, is a Demon Slayer. Highly skilled in the magic, and still even powerful without it. Despite his young age of seventeen, I believe he is one of the strongest wizards in the entire Demon Country of Edolas. He has never let me down on anything, though his biggest rival was Zancrow of the dark guild Grimoire Heart down in Fiore, Earthland. He was a God Slayer, and claimed to be the strongest of all Slayers. So I sent Skylar down to prove how wrong he was, and immediately he came back victorious. That just proved the higher magic capability of all wizards in the Demon Country, Edolas than those in Earthland, Fiore. With all that said, this is why I'm counting on him and his teammates." The Demon King explained.

The Demon Queen nodded. "I see. Now, what about the other two? Can they even begin to compare with this young Skylar?"

"I suppose. Kota Silvers is a Wind Dragon Slayer, which is a good combination with Skylar's Demon Slayer magic...-" The Demon King began.

"-Is he stronger than that other Dragon Slayer, the Fairy Tail one I've been hearing about?" The Demon Queen questioned, her eyes looking determined.

The Demon King appeared surprised for a moment, then responded, "Yes, he is. After Makarov Dreyar's defeat to them, I had some servants research his guild. Some stats were checked, and it was proven that our Kota Silvers is more powerful than that Natsu Dragneel boy."

The Demon Queen nodded approvingly. "Good. Now what about the third one?" She asked.

"Darrion Blaze, he is one of the few wizards in this country to posses one of the Three Sacred Magics of the Sky. He's the powerful user of Sun Magic, and with just that said, it is easily understandable that the boy is extremely strong." The Demon King explained.

"Sun Magic? Isn't that awfully similar to Fire Dragon Slayer magic?"

The Demon King shook his head slowly. "Actually, it isn't. Sun Magic is extremely different, and uses more Light spells rather than Fire."

"I understand. Now, doesn't your daughter also posses one of these Sacred Magics of the Sky?" The Demon Queen asked.

"Yes, my youngest daughter Artemis. She is a Moon Magic mage, and is one of the strongest female wizards in the Demon Country. She's won tournaments, contests, and awards numerous times."

"That's good. What's her magic like?"

The Demon King closed his eyes for a moment, trying to remember. "Ah, she uses Darkness spells and powerful Moon Rays, which are a lot like extremely strong lasers. We have yet to find out her true power, but even so, she is still one of the top mages in this world." The Demon King explained plainly, oblivious to the fact of how special his daughter truly was.

"Hmm. So we know of who posses the legendary Sun and Moon magics, but what about the third one? The Sacred Magic of the Stars... who has that capability?" The Demon Queen questioned.

"We haven't found her yet. Or rather, she has yet to be born. Legend says, she will be female; with golden hair." The Demon King explained.

"Ah. Now, may I ask, exactly how strong is this Darrion character?" The Demon Queen asked, still questioning her husband's choice of wizards.

The Demon King didn't respond for a moment. "We're not completely positive about his strength yet. We know that his power must be equivalent to that of the Fire Dragon Slayer, if not perhaps a bit less. But even so, he being a Sun Magic mage; it should go without saying that he is extremely powerful."

Suddenly, the Demon King was slapped across the face by the Queen. "You good-for-nothing trash! How can you be unsure of his true power and yet still send him into battle? _Especially_ when you know he will up against a wizard with similar elemental powers? If he is weak, then he must be eliminated! A useless mage like himself shouldn't have the right to be in the presence of us or anyone of close relation."

The Demon King rubbed his stinging face, then looked down at the Demon Queen. "I will see what I can do." He told her simply.

She sighed, and looked away. "You must. Now, I have one more question. Do you know exactly who from Earthland is searching for the three of them?"

"Yes, I do. The servants found out that the wizards Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster, Wendy Marvell, Mirajane Strauss, and Lisanna Strauss of Fairy Tail are all hoping to find Skylar, Kota, and Darrion. Not to mention the Leader of the Zodiac, the Celestial Spirit called Leo the Lion." The Demon King explained intelligently.

The Demon Queen laughed. "Those Fairy Tail weaklings won't have a chance against the Demon Slayer and Wind Dragon Slayer. I'd love to see them try." She taunted evilly.

The Demon King nodded slowly. "Now, my Queen, what would you like me to do with the Sun Magic mage?"

* * *

Kota continued to laugh uncontrollably.

"Shut up already, Kota!" Darrion yelled, getting even more annoyed at his older, fifteen-year-old friend.

"Would _both_ of you guys be quiet? I can't concentrate here." Skylar scolded them.

"B-But, I can't! Darrion has Edward Cullen hair. And it's funny as hell to see his reaction every time I say that." Kota pointed out, still grinning.

Darrion rolled his eyes. "Umm, first of all..." The young eleven-year-old Sun Magic mage began, "my hair is _red_. Not brown like Edward's from that dumb, old vampire movie." He claimed as he squeezed his liquid golden-colored eyes shut with annoyance.

Kota just laughed again, his silver hair and matching silver eyes gleaming with enjoyment.

Skylar just shook his head at them, and continued trying to figure out which part of the woods they were in. His glowing red eyes began glancing around the dark, foggy forest, attempting to remember if they'd been there before. "Hey, guys, do you remember this tree?" Skylar asked the two other boys blankly while pointing at a random, sharp and gloomy tree.

Kota and Darrion just gave him an odd look, one that said _How-the-Hell-Are-We-Supposed-to-Know?_

Skylar just sighed in frustration, and ran his pale hand through his shiny, shaggy jet-black hair.

But soon, the three of them began to feel the ground shake.

"W-What's going on?" Darrion questioned, looking at the ground and then glancing up at the sun; and just barely realizing that his power source wasn't even visible through the black clouds and dark treetops

"It's him." Skylar whispered, seeing a black magic circle appear on the ground a couple feet away from them.

He was right. The man known as "him" was the Demon King, and he appeared out of the magic circle from the ground and stood over them.

"M-Master... How's it goin'?" Kota asked, trying to sound cool and calm as their terrifying Demon King loomed in front of them.

The Demon King wasn't amused. He crossed his arms and eyed each of them down, stopping at Darrion.

"Y-Yes, sir?" The young Sun Magic mage asked politely.

"You. Your time is up." The Demon King says, his voice deep and intimidating as he points down at little Darrion.

No one says anything for a moment. Soon Kota and Skylar's eyes widen sharply, realizing what he meant. "Wait... _what_ did you say?!" Kota asks, his voice level rising.

"His time. It is up. He shall be executed, direct orders from the Queen." The King announced.

"But, why?! He never did anything wrong in his life!" Skylar shouted, not caring that he was disrespecting his master.

"The Queen believes he is too weak to be of use. You and Kota are enough to handle this mission; you won't be needing him at all. The Queen also thinks that this boy isn't worth our time, and I believe her." He announced heartlessly.

"BUT YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Kota raged, unknowingly starting a hurricane due to his uncontrollable emotions.

"And why is that? Are you the Demon King of Edolas, young Kota?" He spat, indifferent to Kota's fury.

This only set Kota off even more. The wind got even more harsh, combining with the fog and cloud-filled sky to make it almost impossible to see. Kota's about to say something when Darrion suddenly moves his arm in front of Kota's chest.

"Enough, Kota. I can handle this." Darrion tells him calmly, then faces the Demon King. "You... you _actually believe_ that I'm weak? You think that I, a Sun Magic mage, is UNDERPOWERED?!" He yells, now angry.

"Yes, I do." The Demon King responds back plainly, unmoved by the 110 mile per hour winds blowing past him; courtesy of Kota.

Darrion snarled furiously, now even more angry and unable to handle the rage that now lied within him.

He looked up at the gray sky, dangerous hurricane blowing, and black clouds completely covering the sun.

"What are you going to do, young one? The sun isn't even visible. Therefore your powers have no effect." The Demon King taunts.

He's surprised, though, when the "weak" Sun Magic wizard chuckles.

His chuckle turns into laughter, an rather _evil_ sounding laughter. "You seriously thought... that I was _that_ weak?" His voice sounds different, somehow more mature.

The Demon King doesn't say anything for a moment. Neither does Skylar or Kota. But they all gasp when they suddenly notice a hole appearing in the middle of a thick black cloud.

"Hey, Darrion, w-what's going on...?!" Kota shouts, as he stares at the impossible.

The harsh winds immediately cancel out, within just a mere second. The small hole in the cloud begins to glow with a golden brightness, and the sun soon appears in all its shining glory along with a now-blue sky and brilliant white clouds. No more fog, hurricane, or eclipse-like sun.

As everyone is stunned with shock at watching the impossible unfold right in front of their eyes, the sun begins glowing so bright that everyone except Darrion is quickly blinded.

The Demon King is then attacked with a powerful Sun Magic spell that leaves him as though he was burned to a crisp.

And during it all, Darrion is just standing there with his tan arms crossed and a sinister smile on his face.

He watches the 'almighty' and 'forever most powerful'_ Demon King of Edolas _struggle to stand up, burns horribly inflicting his pale skin.

After a few moments of seemingly tense silence, the Demon King stands up and looms over Darrion.

"Well, I hope you're here to apologize." Darrion says, resting his arms behind his head as he closed his eyes in relaxation and grinned, oblivious to the now-furious Demon King.

He quickly grabs Darrion by his shoulders and lifts him up easily, surprising the poor Sun Magic mage. "Even though I now value your strength, young one, you're still going to be executed for assaulting the Demon King- your master."

Darrion's eyes widened in surprise, as do Skylar and Kota's.

And right as the Demon King is about to murder Darrion with just one powerful, magic Demon spell; a glittering, purple Moon Magic circle appears in the air beside them.

And out of it steps the one and only Artemis Selene Luna.

"Artemis!" Darrion squeals in surprise, his eyes now gigantic pink hearts. "Tell your dad to leave me alone!" He yells, making the Moon Magic mage glance in his direction.

"Artemis, what are you doing here?" Her father asks sharply, eyeing her down with a furious look in his eye.

She takes a deep breath, and summons all her courage to confront her powerful father. "Dad...-" She begins.

"-How many times do I have to tell you, don't call me that!" He raged.

She inhales sharply, then looks down in shame. "Your highness... Please don't do this. Don't hurt Darrion. He's my servant and I can't let you execute him." She says, barely loud enough for all of them to hear.

He laughs cruelly, and holds Darrion with one hand over his neck. "I don't care if he was assigned to you, Artemis, it's still direct orders from your step-mother to kill him. He's pathetic and disrespectful." He tells her, now completely healed from the Sun attack.

"But, you can't! He's _mine!_ I can't let you kill him, especially for a reason like that! Please, your highness... I beg of you." Artemis cried, forfeiting all her pride, and her voice cracking.

Right as a tear is about to fall from Artemis's cheek, she's suddenly slapped across the face and falls to the ground, crying out in pain.

The Demon King tightens his grip around Darrion's neck, beginning to cut off his ability to breathe. He looks down at his daughter in disgust, and says "You filthy child. No daughter of mine can ever beg like that!_ Especially_ for a worthless piece of trash like this!" He yells, squeezing Darrion's neck even more tightly and causing him to scream in agony.

Artemis just lies on the ground, trying to stop her tears. She glances at Skylar and Kota, who are frozen in shock and fear. She doesn't blame them, not at all.

The Demon King suddenly throws Darrion hard onto the ground and kicks him hard with his ginormous, powerful foot while watching with an amused look in his eye.

Artemis just watched in horror for a moment, as her father beat up one of her best friends and _enjoyed it._

More tears escaped her eyes, and she screamed and pleaded for her father to stop. But he continued throwing Darrion around, playing with him as he screeched in pain.

And there was absolutely nothing they could do about it.

Even so, Artemis still continued to beg, and her father became more and more disgusted with it. "Please, daddy, please! Just stop this already! I know you hate me but_ just stop it!"_ Artemis wailed at the top of her lungs.

This finally got the Demon King's attention, and he stopped to look down at her. "_I thought I told you to stop begging._ This hurts the family's pride, you ungrateful little brat!" He yelled, smacking her again.

This time, she maintained control and didn't fall over from the powerful slap. "Then let him live! I'll do anything, I'll never hurt our pride again, I'll leave forever if you want me to; just _please_ let him be..." She began.

He looked down at Darrion, who was now unconscious from the beating.

He then glanced at Skylar and Kota, who immediately tried to appear as if they hadn't seen or heard anything; even though it was obvious.

"Please, your highness... Don't execute him. He'll never let you down, I promise-" Artemis began pleading.

The Demon King just gave her a dirty look, telling her to shut up.

"Listen, you brats. I'll let your little slave live..." He began. And as soon as he said that, Artemis, Skylar, and Kota's eyes widened with surprise. "-but. On one condition." He stated.

Artemis suddenly looked firm and composed. "And what is the condition, sir?" She asked.

He glanced down at Darrion, who was beginning to wake up; and then directly at Skylar and Kota. "It's simple. You must succeed in your mission with all three of you equally completing the work. Not just one of you doing it all, or only two. Each of you three has to take some major part in the job, or else _all three of you_ will be executed. Understood?" He says sharply, glaring down at Skylar and Kota.

"Yes." They agree, their voices trembling just the slightest.

"And don't even bother trying to hide anything from me. I have my ways of knowing what the three of you are up to at all times."

"Y-yes, sir." Skylar and Kota agreed again.

The Demon King just stares at them for a moment, his ice-cold glare horribly intimidating them.

And with that, he disappears back to the castle.

But no one says anything for a few minutes more.

It all changes when Darrion completely wakes up, and stands back up; asking what had happened.

Skylar and Kota glance at Artemis, who is just standing off to the side of them.

Darrion notices Artemis, and runs up to her. "My Artemis! You came to see me." He cried lovingly as he hugged her tight.

And for once, Artemis doesn't push him off of her. "You bet I did." She said, and wonders when was the last time that she ever said anything nice to him.

Skylar and Kota slowly walk up to them. "So, Artemis... How did you know this was going to happen?" Skylar asked her as Darrion finally pulled away.

She looked down, sadness still in her huge purple eyes. "My sister overheard my father and step-mother talking about it. She knew Darrion was one of my servants so she told me about it." Artemis explained solemnly.

"Knew about what? Wait, what happened? Guys, I just woke up!" Darrion whined.

Artemis glanced at Skylar and Kota, the look on her face telling them not to say anything.

They nodded and looked down; all three of them still traumatized by what they had just witnessed.

Soon, though, the silence was broken by Darrion again. "So, Artemis, are you coming with us now? We're still looking for that Lucy Heartfilia girl like you said." He told her.

Artemis smiled at him, but shook her head. "No, actually... I have to get going. See you guys when you get back, okay? I have some more things to do." She told them.

Skylar and Kota nodded at her as she began to leave. "Aww! Fine then, meanie! We can handle this by ourselves!" Darrion yelled after her, as she continued walking home.

She then turns around, which surprises them all. "Good luck, guys! I love you! I know you'll find her, so come back to me soon!" She called out, a sweet smile on her face.

This made all three of the boys' hearts skip a beat. Their beautiful master who just happened to sometimes have an attitude problem just said something nice to them... which was rare. They all smiled and waved, promising to find who they were assigned to look for and come home safe.

They knew she was usually cold or mean towards them, but that deep down she truly cared for them. She meant just as much to them as they did to her, and they all knew it.

* * *

Artemis continued walking back to the castle.

She didn't want to teleport there; she needed time to think.

Time to think about her future, her friends, and her family. With the earlier events still fresh in her mind, she couldn't bring herself to think about anything else.

She knew she was born to one day become Demon Queen, and all her life it was all she really wanted. When she was old enough to be told of the tournament for determining the Demon Country of Edolas's new Demon King and Queen, she immediately knew it was her destiny to be chosen out of all her sisters and many others to be crowned Queen.

She had spent most of her life training and perfecting her Moon Magic and fighting skills in preparation for the tournament, which now lied just a few short years away.

But, was it all worth it?

If she did manage to win and become Demon Queen, would it be what she ever expected it to be? And with all that power, fame, and money... Deep down, would she still be the same person?

Or would all of that change who she was; into a heartless, unstoppable beast just like... her father?

Artemis stopped walking, and inhaled sharply.

Her hand flew to her heart in surprise as she nearly fell over from the sudden unsteadiness in her knees. The realization had hit her so hard that she soon felt paralyzed; as if she could barely move. She clutched a nearby tree tightly, and tried to catch her breath.

She had finally realized what would happen to her. If she did become Demon Queen like she had always wished for, she would become obsessed with power and fame. She would no longer be the Artemis her friends knew and loved.

_What if I... began to abuse my slaves and torture them like my father does? What about Skylar, Kota, and Darrion? What would happen to them? I would never do anything to hurt them, but still... Just what if...?_

Artemis soon began to feel her eyes sting. Just thinking about the possibilites made her tear up. She couldn't bare to think about it anymore, the possible future stabbing her heart and putting her to shame.

Her father and step-mother were cold, heartless creatures. They didn't love her; or anyone, she just knew it. Their power, not only physically but as King and Queen, was far too strong for just two single beings. They could blow up an entire city in their country if they wanted to, no questions asked. If one of them was in a bad mood, with one order they could annihilate an entire city.

Artemis fell to the ground, her arms holding her up from the dirt; her teeth clenched and tears streaming down her face. "_How could this happen?_" She asked herself out loud. She had trained for hours day and night just to win that tournament and be crowned Queen. How could she be having second thoughts? Why now, of all the time she had to think about it?

Suddenly, she sat up. She wiped the tears from her face and frowned, now slightly angry with herself. _There's no turning back_, she realized as she stood up.

_I have to keep moving forward, especially after all that hard work, dedication, and commitment. And if I abuse my power, it's none of anyone's business._

Artemis smiled evilly as she began walking._ After all, I have Skylar, Kota, and Darrion out looking for that Lucy Heartfilia girl. After she's brought to me and I can finally take her life, I can become a Celestial Spirit mage. And with that extra power, I'll be strong enough to defeat anyone in the tournament..._ She thought, the idea of strength, power, and fame engulfing her mind and completely taking over as it always did.

She began to laugh, almost sounding as cruel as her father. She could just imagine herself beating out every other contestant, leaving her the only winner and just as victorious as she'd always dreamed.

And the more Artemis walked, the more she re-convinced herself that murdering Lucy Heartfilia, mastering Celestial Spirit Magic using her newly obtained Keys, winning the tournament and being crowned Demon Queen was her one and only goal in life.

* * *

"Man, that guy is sca-_ry._" Kota commented as he, Skylar and Darrion searched for a place to rest.

"Believe me, I know." Skylar responded as he eyed Darrion, who looked like he was going to collapse from exhaustion.

"I thought he was gonna murder us." Kota said, cringing at the thought of their "master", the overly powerful Demon King.

Skylar just nodded, then looked at a shady tree that was near a lake. "Let's go over there, guys. You can rest for a while, Darrion, you need it." He pointed out, glancing again at the young boy who still had no memory of what had happened between him and their master.

"Yeah, good idea." Kota agreed.

After a few minutes, they were all lying down in the grass beneath the shade; Darrion already asleep.

But Skylar and Kota were still troubled. Neither of them could get their harsh master out of their minds. They had never witnessed him completely abuse one of his servants until now, and it was their _friend_ too.

"Um, Skylar?" Kota began.

"Yeah?"

Kota glanced down at the grass, unable to meet his friend's eyes. "H-Have you ever thought... about leaving this place?" He asked cautiously.

Skylar looked surprised for a moment. "Huh?" He questioned, unable to believe what he had just been asked.

"Escaping, pretty much. That Demon King is way too harsh on everyone. I've sometimes thought about... you know, leaving this country for good." He explained slowly, and looked up into the blue sky. "Right now it would be pretty easy. We're not locked in that castle- if we hurried we could be gone before he even noticed we didn't complete our mission."

Skylar glanced down, thinking about what he had just been told.

He'd never even suspected that Kota could feel that way. Or that his hatred for their master could be that strong. Sure, Skylar hated being a slave; but he still didn't want to leave. He simply _couldn't_ leave. "No." He said suddenly.

Kota looked away from the sky, and his eyes locked right on Skylar. "What?" He questioned.

Skylar squeezed his eyes shut. "No. There's no way. I could never abandon Artemis. I promised myself... that one day, I'd save her. Truly save her. Just like she... saved me." He then looked away, his voice nearly a whisper. He had never, ever told anyone about that. Not even Artemis herself. He couldn't believe he'd just told Kota, his immature, idiot friend.

But surprisingly, Kota didn't laugh. Or even smile. He just kept that thoughtful look on his face, now studying the sky again. "Well, that makes sense. I guess I owe her, too. Plus... I'd never want to leave her side either..." He said, as he continued to watch the moving clouds overhead.

Skylar glanced at Kota, who didn't notice. For a moment, he wondered what Artemis could have done to help him.

He'd never really asked her; how Kota had joined them. Or how Darrion ended up there, as one of her servants back at the castle. He just knew that from a young age, Artemis was the only one in his life who had ever truly helped him.

It was many years ago, on a cold, dark and rainy night. He'd been attempting to jump off a bridge into a raging, stormy ocean.

Then Artemis had came, just a little girl, and begged him to come down.

She'd showed him that life wasn't as cruel as he'd thought it was. There was this little girl, she didn't even know him or anything about him, and yet she'd ran out into the pouring rain just to stop him. She'd told him she wanted him to live, she wanted him to be happy. No one had ever showed him that amount of kindness or sincerity in his life. He knew that, with people like her in this world, he would have the will and strength to go on.

Even if his beloved mother had gone missing, even if he was left with a horrible step-father who hated him, even if his older brother had no respect for him. Through it all, this young girl had taught him never to take life as something insignificant.

She'd saved him. And he promised himself that one day he'd save her in return, even if he had to go to the ends of the Earth just for her.

Now that was many years ago, Artemis was much more grown up and so was Skylar. But, feelings never fade. Things never change. Not between them, at least...

"Hey, we should get going now." Kota said suddenly, disturbing Skylar's thoughts.

"Oh, um, yeah." He mumbles.

As Skylar gets up, he notices Kota staring at him. "What?" He asks.

Kota just continues to eye him. "You know, you never told me how you met Artemis." He points out.

Skylar suddenly feels a slight blush on his cheeks. _Uh oh._

Kota grins. "Ah, a little love story, I see." He teases.

"Oh, shut up." Skylar snaps, shoving him slightly.

Kota continues to watch him. "Yeah, you can deny that all you want. Or... you can believe that how _I_ met Artemis is a real love story." He grins, then winks at his friend.

Skylar gives him a dirty look. "Yeah, right." He says sarcastically.

"No, really." Kota presses.

"I highly doubt that."

Kota grins again. "You're jealous." He states.

At this, Skylar looks up. "_What_? No way. You're stupid." He says, now getting annoyed.

"No, you're in denial. You like Artemis. But you know she likes me instead." He says, before laughing and patting Skylar's head in pity.

But Kota soon feels Skylar's cold hand grip his wrist so tightly that he feels as though the circulation might be cut off.

He stops laughing. "S-Skylar?" He questions slowly, seeing the dead-serious expression on his friend's face.

"Don't even joke around about that, Kota." Skylar says, his voice cold and sharp.

Kota gulps, still to this day, ever since he _met_ him, afraid of getting in a fist fight with him. "O-Okay." He agrees, his normally smooth and carefree voice now sounding a bit shaky.

Skylar lets go of his wrist, and goes to wake up Darrion. As he does, Kota can't help but feel a bit... defeated.

He'd been joking about his "love story" past with Artemis. But he knew that whatever story Skylar and Artemis had between them, he was pretty jealous of.

It must have had some kind of deep and powerful meaning for them to always be so serious around each other. For that he sort of envied Skylar; he wished Artemis would take him more seriously rather than just as a complete idiot. But in a way, he knew he was mostly to blame for that.

Even so, he always found himself somehow competing with Skylar just for her attention.

* * *

Artemis plopped down in her bed, and sighed into the pillows.

She was absolutely bored out of her mind.

Her three minions had been gone for days now, and there was nothing for her to do. Even though they often got on her nerves and annoyed her to no end, she found that she actually kind of missed their company.

Well, a lot.

She grabbed a nearby pillow and held it to her chest. She was pretty worried about how they were doing.

She knew they could take care of themselves just fine, but there was also that new rule that they had to equally take part in their mission. She just hoped they wouldn't be stupid enough not to remember that.

She then tried not to think about the fact that if they actually _did_ forget about it, they'd all have to die.

Her thoughts then wandered to Darrion. It was all because of him, anyway.

He wasn't weak, that was for sure. Artemis had no idea why her ignorant step-mother would believe that.

She soon began to remember how she had met Darrion. It was quite different how she had met Skylar and Kota, but it was still cute in a sad kind of way.

It was at an annual festival, Artemis was only about eleven when she found a young, crying boy running away from a clown.

She'd been looking for Skylar when she saw Darrion for the first time, crying so much that he couldn't see where he was going and ended up bumping into her.

"Please, pretty lady! Save me from that evil clown!" The seven-year-old boy cried, once he realized he'd ran into her.

Artemis glanced at the "evil" clown. The poor guy had just been trying to give him a long, red balloon shaped like a dragon.

She just sighed and looked away, down at the whimpering boy who was now clutching her tightly. "Are you lost, little boy?" She asked sweetly.

He sniffled, then looked up at her. "Kinda." He admitted sheepishly.

She felt her heart sink. She was already starting to feel bad for him. "Where was the last place you saw your mom and dad?" She asked, pulling him away slightly.

He looked up at her, his sad eyes almost killing her. "The last time I saw my daddy, he promised me would come back for me. He said that no matter what happened to him, he'd come home to me and Mommy safe and sound. But..." He trailed off, now looking at the ground,

"But what?" Artemis questioned, unable to believe what she had just heard. She prayed he wouldn't say what she thought he was going to say.

"B-But...Daddy lied. He never came back. He left us. Mommy tried to explain that the Wizard Army was too strong, or something. But still. I think he just decided to leave us behind." He said, his voice cracking and eyes now tearing up.

Artemis couldn't handle not knowing. Her_ heart_ couldn't handle it, she just had to ask. Had to know. "And... w-where is your mommy, little boy?" She asked, her voice shaky and eyes now threatening tears.

"Mommy? She's sick. Well, she got sick soon after Daddy left us. Now she's not here anymore either."

Without thinking, Artemis hugged the young boy again. She'd had no idea that he was an orphan, that his father had fought and died in the Wizard and Demon War, or that his mother had probably gotten the plague and died soon after. She couldn't imagine being as young as him and losing that much.

Darrion, who had been young but still intelligent, decided not to tell her that everything he'd just told her had only happened just a week before. He also thought it was better that she didn't know he'd ran away from home after finding out everything and had no where to go. All because he didn't want this beautiful girl to cry anymore.

Artemis's memory was pretty fuzzy after that. All she remembered was that he, the young boy she'd met at the festival, and many other children were soon forced into slavery at the castle. Upon request, he became one of her minions.

It was natural for them, though, to be very different from each other. He was a Sun Magic mage, while she was a Moon Magic mage. This explained why he was so attracted to her, but also why she was the opposite and always pulling him away.

Artemis opened her eyes, realizing that she'd been about to fall asleep. She rubbed her eye, and the short, dangling chain that hung off her chain shackle bracelet hit her face by accident.

She glanced at it, which also reminded her of Darrion.

Mostly because, she'd given him her other identical one the day she'd met him. And ever since then, he wore it every day and never took it off.

She smiled, since it was her favorite accessory she never took it off either.

Getting up off her bed, she realized that it was just one of the many things that tied her and her lovely servants together... forever.

* * *

"Fairy Tail guild?"

"Check."

"Cardia Cathedral?"

"Check."

"Mount. Hakobe?"

"Check."

"Ummm... her _house_?!"

"Check."

"Oh... Well how about Hargeon?"

"Check."

"Aaaagh!" Kota groaned loudly as he finished off the list of places they'd checked to find Lucy Heartfilia. "Where else could she be?!" He shouted, exasperated with the search.

It had been three days, and they still hadn't found her.

"Well weren't her and about five or six other wizards looking for us too?" Darrion pointed out.

"Indeed. But they couldn't have gone too far... since they probably have no idea where they're going." Skylar also pointed out.

"This is so _annoying_. If they know we're looking for her, why doesn't she just surrender and come to us? If we really _do_ run into all of them, they should still know they'll have no chance against us." Kota huffed, crossing his arms.

Skylar shrugged his shoulders. They were all silent for a moment, thinking about other places they could look to find Lucy and the other Fairy Tail wizards.

Then suddenly, Darrion's stomach breaks the silence.

It growls. Loud.

As do Skylar and Kota's.

Skylar ignores it, knowing better than to glance at Kota and Darrion. But soon, curiosity gets the best of him and he looks their way.

They're both staring at him. Staring at him so hard that it's making him uncomfortable. "What?" He gives in.

"We're HUNGRY!" They yell, so loud that Skylar almost falls over backwards.

"Ugh _fine._ I'll go look for something for us to eat. You two stay here." He tells them, making them all giddy and grin at each other.

As he's walking around the forest, he wonders why Kota and Darrion never learned how to look for food in the wilderness. It just annoyed him from time to time when they didn't know what to eat and what not to eat while out there, so he was always the one to go looking for food.

"Damn, it's hot out here." He mumbled to himself as he peeled off his shirt, revealing the red Demon mark on the right side of his chest.

He continued walking, completely oblivious to the voices behind the trees getting louder and closer.

As he walked near a river, he noticed a group of teenagers staring at him from across the water. "Umm... you need something?" He asks them.

They don't say anything at first.

And it's then that he realizes.

_Lucy Heartfilia is the girl with blonde hair and a pink Fairy Tail mark on her hand. Surrounding her will most likely be six other wizards of the same guild. Make sure you find them before they find you._

The words echoed in his mind. He couldn't believe it. The Fairy Tail idiots had actually found him first.

Oh no. This could be bad.


	6. Jealousy Can Kill Us All

_**Author's Note: Hiya readers ^~^ Hope you didn't hate the last chapter... it pretty much didn't even show anyone from Fairy Tail xD Lol and I kinda hope you're at least a little bit interested in my made up characters ._. ...? ARE you?... Aaaaanyway, this chapter will be kind of short too, unlike the next chapter coming up, but this one will finally show the meeting between the Demons and the Fairies! FINALLY. Haha so hope you enjoy! Review/comment when you're done please please please! :D**_

_**With Much Love, Celine Fullbuster**_

* * *

"How long has it been?" Lisanna whined as she continued walking with the group.

Gray rolls his eyes. "Three days." He responds, kicking a twig on the forest floor.

Lucy just groans. "This is taking forever, Loke. Are you sure you know where you're going?" Lucy asks her celestial spirit.

Loke continues walking ahead of the group. "Of course I do, love. The castle they stay in while on Earthland should be in this direction." He says, pointing; though he actually wasn't quite positive if he was even remembering correctly.

"It better be. It feels like we've been lost for days." She complains.

The group, consisting of Lucy, Loke, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Mira, and Lisanna continued walking in silence for a moment.

Soon, they began to hear the sound of water; and knew they must be getting near a river. "Hey guys, why don't we rest for a bit? My feet are killing me." Mira begins.

"Yeah, me too!" Lisanna agrees.

Erza glances back at the two of them. "But it would be a better idea to keep going..." She begins.

"Well, actually, it might be a while until we get near a river again. You guys see it over there? It's pretty close. I say you humans should all take a rest over there, while I go back to the Spirit World and give Lucy a break." Loke suggests.

Lucy sighed, bent over, and put her hands on her knees. "You know, that wouldn't be such a bad idea. I think I might run out of magic energy soon." She breathes out.

"Then it's settled. You guys-" Loke began, but stopped when he felt Natsu's arm in front of him.

"What are you doing-" He started to say.

"Shhh." Natsu cuts in quietly.

Everyone glances at Natsu, wondering what he may have heard. They then followed his gaze and noticed a shirtless, pale, handsome young man walk out of the trees near the other side of the river.

"Who is _that?_" Wendy questions, but is soon hushed by Natsu.

Without warning, he walks out of the trees too. He glares at the boy, noticing the peculiar red mark on the right side of his chest.

It looked like it could be some sort of guild mark. But, something was off. Natsu didn't recognize the guild at all, and he had seen most of them during the Grand Magic Games. This guy walking around with that mark on him must not be from around here. Then, does that mean...?

Natsu's thoughts were broken as he felt the presence of all his guildmates suddenly surround him. This caught the other boy's attention, the shirtless one across the water with the strange mark.

At first, no one said anything. Natsu and the others just began staring at the boy, all wondering the same thing: _Could he be one of the Demon princess's minions?_

Skylar watched them for a moment. He then asks, "Umm... you need something?"

He gets no response.

After a moment, he then looks as though he remembered something important. He glances at Lucy, and eyes her down slowly.

But Gray is the first to say something. "Hey, you! Don't be looking at Lucy like that!" He yells, surprising everyone.

But what stuns them more is Skylar as he peels his eyes off of Lucy and smirks evilly at Gray. "You can't stop me." He says, his voice a low, intimidating growl.

Gray's eyebrows raise at the comment, surprised to see that this kids' actually got some guts. He walks a bit closer to him and says slowly, "Oh, yeah?" as he subconsciously strips off his shirt.

The tension is somehow broken, though, when they all hear Mira and Lisanna giggle. "They kind of look alike." They said, still grinning.

"Uh, _what?"_ Gray questions, turning back to face them.

"No, no, no, you've got it all wrong. He looks more like a shirtless Zeref." Erza chimes in, shaking her finger at Mira and Lisanna.

"Yeah, his hair's a bit more like Zeref's; but he's shirtless like Gray." Wendy adds.

"Plus, his eyes are glowing red like Zeref's do when he's angry." Erza says, trying to prove that she's more right.

"But it looks more like his eyes are_ always_ glowing red, not just for right now." Lucy says as she glances back at the now-dumbfounded Skylar.

"He's kind of cute, though." Lisanna says as she giggles again.

"Alright, alright, enough." Gray commands, turning back to Skylar. "Who are you?" He asks, eyeing him down suspiciously.

Skylar just grins. He glances at Lucy again, suddenly making her feel uncomfortable. "You. What's your name?" He asks, his features twisted into an evil smirk.

Her heart suddenly begins beating fast. She's afraid to tell him but she feels as though she must. "M-My name is Lucy Heartfilia." She admits, mumbling quietly and looking down at the ground.

His grin somehow turns even more sinister, worrying her even more. "Just you wait. We're gonna get you."

But before anyone can even react, he's gone.

* * *

"Are you sure about that, Lucy?" Natsu asks, just to make sure.

Lucy sighed. "I'm positive." She reassures him.

Loke shook his head and looked down. "It's my fault. I should've remembered what they looked like, so I could've known if he was one of them or not. But if you really think he was possibly one of your family's trackers trying to find you, then I believe you." He said, still a bit frustrated with himself.

Lucy smiled at him. "It's okay, Loke. You don't have to worry. Now, why don't you go back to the Spirit World for the night? You must be tired." She tells him.

He just smiles in return. "Only because I know how tired _you_ must be, Lucy. I'm actually quite impressed. None of my masters have ever been able to keep me out as long as you did today." He says, putting an arm around her.

She blushed a bit, before shrugging his arm off. "Thanks. So see you tomorrow, probably." She says, reaching down for his key to close the gate before remembering that she didn't have her keys anymore.

"Goodnight." He says before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

As soon as he's gone, Natsu groans. "Finally." He says, putting his arms behind his head and resting against them.

"What?" Lucy asks, moving her hand away from the bag at her waist that used to hold all her keys. "You don't like Loke?" She questions, though not sounding very offended.

Natsu shrugs. "Eh. Don't you think he clings to you a bit too much?" He asks nonchalantly.

This time, Lucy shrugs. "Well, I _am_ his master. Anyway, why don't you go help set up camp?" She suggests.

"Alright. You coming?" He asks.

Lucy looks down, then glances at the clear river water beside her. "Umm... I think I might just stay here for a bit. I need some time to think." She says solemnly.

"Okay then. Just come back when you're done." He says quickly, watching Gray try to start a fire.

Natsu soon runs off, leaving Lucy alone with just her thoughts.

_I wonder if that guy really was one of the Demon princess's servants..._ Lucy began wondering, before shutting out the thought and replacing it with the fact that it could have just been another one of her family's trackers.

_Yeah, that must be it. They're always looking for me anyway. But still, this guy didn't look like all the other trackers did..._

Lucy put her hands over her face. She didn't even want to think about the fact that she could've just been face-to-face with one of the guys that stole her gate keys.

If she had, she could never forgive herself.

Her thoughts then wandered to Natsu, who was over by the tents that they'd all brought in case they had to stay some nights in the woods.

He was by the now-raging fire, making fun of Gray for trying to start one on his own. Lucy couldn't help but giggle, watching Natsu jump around and laugh like a complete idiot.

But that was just one of the many things that she liked about him.

So she continued to watch him, hearts practically in her eyes.

But soon, she snapped out of it. _What am I doing?._.. She asked herself, moving a bit closer to the river. She then splashed some water on her face, trying to forget that she'd just been staring at _Natsu._

_I wonder... Could I actually like him?_... She slowly began to think. She squeezed her eyes shut, and soon began to blush. "No_.._." she found herself whispering out loud.

But then, her thoughts somehow got a mind of their own. _Of course you like him Lucy, don't you dare even try to deny it anymore..._

Her eyes widened, unable to believe what she'd just thought. _NO. I can't. And I DON'T. We're on the same team, and he's my best friend. I can't like him... Or at least, I don't think so..._ She began, these thoughts making her blush some more.

_But why can't you? Who CARES if you're on the same team? Your heart chooses who it wants, not your head. Therefore, you simply can't pick who you fall for. And in this case, it's Natsu. Just give it a chance..._ The little voice in the back of her head told her.

She suddenly stood up, blushing furiously and steam practically shooting out of her ears. _Oh, shut up, you stupid conscience! You're not here for helping me with my pathetic love life, you're here for when I don't know what to do! And how come I've never heard you before? BELIEVE me, I've been in way worse situations where I could have needed you..._ She angrily told the little voice.

_But Lucy, I've never said anything because... even though you wouldn't believe it... in all those situations where you thought you could have used me, you really didn't. You always knew the right thing to do, you just needed some time to think. But now, this is something you definitely need help with. Natsu Dragneel, go to him. Please just believe me already, you're in love with him._

And after hearing all that in her mind, Lucy felt as though she was going to pass out. Somehow it seemed as though the conscience just... left. Because she was now feeling even more alone than she ever had in her entire life.

She sighs sadly, and looks down at her reflection in the river. The pretty girl on the water smiles back, and Lucy soon realizes that it's because she's smiling now too.

She looks away, and glances back at Natsu. _Maybe I might have some feelings for him... just a little..._ She thought to herself as she smiled again.

But it soon ceased when she saw someone approach him.

Lisanna.

She's now sitting next to Natsu, grinning at him and roasting a marshmallow with him. He grins back, and attempts to eat his 14th s'more of the night.

As Lucy begins watching more closely, she sees Lisanna use her finger to wipe off some crumbs from Natsu's face, getting much more closer to him than actually needed. She then licks the crumb-filled finger and eyes him intensely, before scooting a bit closer to him and winking.

_Okay. What the HELL was I thinking?_... Lucy thought to herself immediately.

She suddenly felt extremely guilty. _How could I have thought that I could have Natsu when he's so clearly taken by Lisanna? He's always been hers. And I should've known better... they've been friends since childhood, duh! Waah... I'm such a BITCH! Lisanna's my friend too, I can't be going around attempting to steal what's rightfully hers..._

Lucy then began to feel a tear in her eye after that last thought. Somehow, even though she knew it was wrong to like someone who was already taken, she still felt... heartbroken. But, how could this be... She didn't actually like Natsu _that_ much, did she?

The confusion of it all made her hurt even more. The tears began streaming down her face as she got up and ran even deeper into the dark forest; far away from all of her close friends.

* * *

Gray sat by the bonfire, completely alone for the first time since they'd all left the guild.

Lisanna had been walking with him earlier, and he'd felt okay since their conversation usually kept him from thinking about Lucy.

He suddenly cringes. _Lucy._ The girl he liked somehow always made him feel pain, rather than joy. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?

But, he knew it was mostly because he was aware of the fact that she either liked or was dating someone else. The constant reminder was what was hurting him, and the pain cut him deep; leaving horrible scars on his self-esteem that he knew he could never restore.

In a way, though, he was sort of happy. Even if the guy she liked wasn't him, at least she was happy. The person she was dating must be treating her right, and all Gray wanted was for Lucy to keep that beautiful smile on her face.

And as for that boy who she was probably dating... Gray was pretty sure he knew who it was.

The person he hated the most. Also known as one of the few people who he loved most of all. He was the most idiotic, low-minded, dense being known to man.

That person was Natsu Dragneel.

And Gray had no idea how _he_ of all people could have scored the girl of his dreams.

So he couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like if he was the one who had confessed to Lucy first, instead of Natsu.

Would she have reconsidered? Would_ Gray_ be the one who was always making her laugh and smile, instead of that other idiot?

It was killing him. He_ had_ to know if she would've preferred him; if he'd lost his chance or if there still was one.

It was then that he decided once and for all, he must tell Lucy how he really feels about her. Even if she was possibly dating his longtime rival... He still wanted to know. He didn't care what she thought of him, he just had to know if she'd ever liked him as more than a friend.

And with that, he starts glancing around for Lucy. His eyes finally find her way back near the river, looking kind of sad.

_I wonder what's wrong with her_... He thinks to himself. Seeing her sad actually made _him_ feel sad too.

He watches her for a moment, and soon sees her get up and run off even farther into the dark forest; appearing as though she'd been crying.

Without thinking, he begins running after her. Once he's far enough from the campsite, he starts calling out for her. "Lucy! Where are you? Lucy, can you hear me?!" He continues running through the woods, the night sky making it almost pitch-black.

He's running past a small clearing when he suddenly hears a sniffle, as if someone was trying to silence their tears.

"L-Lucy?" He calls out, walking closer to where the sound came from.

"Gray...?" She answers back slowly.

He hears a scuffling noise, and finds her sitting with her back against a tree; facing the river. "Why'd you run all the way out here?" He asks gently, trying not to scare her.

She doesn't say anything right away, just looks down at the ground in shame.

He then feels the need to comfort her, for whatever reason that she may be upset. He sits down next to her, and places his arm over her shoulders. "Tell me what's wrong." He says quietly.

She looks away so that he can't see her face. "It... It's nothing." She mumbles, just above a whisper. She then glances back at the campsite, where the fire is just barley visible.

Even from here, Gray can see that she's looking at Natsu. And when he looks a bit closer, he sees that Natsu is with Lisanna.

But, why? Isn't Natsu dating Lucy?

Lisanna is clearly all over him, but he isn't doing much about it. Doesn't he have feelings for _Lucy_? And if he knows that she does too, why must he let Lisanna get so close to him like that? That's the most disrespectful thing that he could do to Lucy!

And here she was, crying in the darkness with only Gray for company.

He immediately realizes that Natsu must have been the cause for her pain, and running away from the group. How _dare_ he hurt her like that! Gray had been sitting there earlier thinking about how Lucy was always so happy because of how good Natsu was to her. Now he made her cry? He was definitely going to pay for this.

But first, he had to comfort his friend-slash-girl of his dreams. "It's okay, Lucy. You're going to be just fine." He tries, hoping his comforting wasn't as horrible as it seemed to him.

Lucy wipes a final tear from her eye, and slowly looks at him. "W-What?" She asks, whispering slightly.

"Natsu. I know he's why you're upset. But listen, boyfriends can't always be perfect. He made just one mistake... and just know that I'll make sure he never does again." Gray says nonchalantly, chuckling slightly.

Lucy continues to stare at him. "Natsu isn't my boyfriend." She says, her voice completely emotionless.

This surprises Gray. His eyes widen, and his heart skips a beat. He had been nearly 100-percent sure that she was dating Natsu. "He... He isn't?" He questions, heart still racing.

She sighs, and finally looks away from him. "Nope. I don't have a boyfriend."

Gray knows better than to jump to conclusions. "Oh... well then, you like him don't you?" He asks, trying to hide the smile on his face from finding out that she was still single.

She's silent for a moment. The wait for her answer practically kills him, but he still waits patiently. And right when he's about to pass out from anxiousness, she looks at him again. "No... I don't..." She whispers slowly, even though what she _meant_ to say was '_I can't_'.

Her answer makes Gray's head spin. He simply couldn't believe what he'd just heard. The girl that he liked... was _single_ and actually _not_ interested in Natsu?

Before he can get over his shock, Lucy glances at him again. "What about you? Don't you like Juvia?" She asks, looking as if she wasn't sad about anything anymore.

Gray's jaw drops. Good thing it was really dark, or else she would have seen it.

Yet again, he couldn't believe what she'd just said. Lucy had thought... that he liked _Juvia_? Exactly how _long_ did she think this? And was that why it seemed she liked Natsu?! Because she thought he liked Juvia and not her, while she was the one who he actually loved?! This was bad. Maybe he could have actually had her all this time. "No!" He accidentally blurts out.

Lucy looks surprised. "What? _Really_?"

Gray nods, his heart feeling as though it was going to jump out of his chest. "_Yes_." He shivered in disgust at the thought of Juvia.

Lucy doesn't say anything for a moment. And for some reason, this really hurts Gray. He just has to know if what he'd thought earlier was true. "Lucy... it's because there's someone else who I really like." He told her truthfully.

She chuckles. "Oh. Well it just seemed like you were into Juvia. Guess not."

Gray's heart sinks. She didn't even bother to ask who it was that he liked. "Well, um... so you don't know who it is that I actually..." He trails off, feeling stupid for asking her such a question.

"That you like? No, if it's not Juvia. Who is it then?" She asks innocently.

Gray feels like he's gonna faint. He can't believe that he's really going to tell her. "...Guess." He mumbles, unable to look her in the eye.

"Hmmm. Is it Erza?"

Gray flinched. "God, no!" He yells, terrified at just the thought of Erza.

"Mirajane? Cana?"

"Nope, and nope."

Lucy sighs. "Well then, I don't know..." She looks off into the distance.

Gray suddenly grabs her shoulders, and makes her face him. He couldn't keep it bottled up inside anymore. "Lucy, I like you." He says, the words smoothly rolling off his tongue.

At first, she's speechless.

And just looking at her cute face while she's beyond surprised like that somehow, kind of... turns him on.

He figures it's now or never.

He leans in slowly and is about to kiss her when...

_... BAM._

-he gets tackled to the ground.

"You bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing to my Lucy?!" Natsu yells, now on top of Gray and away from Lucy.

"Y-_Your_ Lucy? You don't own her, idiot!" Gray yells back, pushing Natsu off him and standing up.

"Yes, I do! Lucy belongs to me and _only_ me!" He yells in return as he gets off the ground and quickly punches him in his stomach.

Gray howls in pain as he staggers back, but soon regains balance and moves forward to punch him in the face. "She is NOT yours!"

Natsu quickly dodges. "Don't even _try_ to steal what's mine, ice-brain!" He then grabs Gray by his shirt and is about to finish him off in one blow when Lucy suddenly grabs Natsu by his arm.

"Natsu, stop it! Don't hurt Gray anymore!" She yells, worry in her voice.

He suddenly stops, and looks around him. Lisanna, Mira, and Wendy were there too; watching with their jaws dropped and eyes wide.

And for a few seconds, no one says anything. Natsu lets go of Gray, who backs up a bit. "What? You guys never seen me and Gray fight before?" Natsu asks nonchalantly.

The silence is broken when Mira suddenly squeals with delight. "I can't believe this! Natsu, you and Gray were actually _fighting over Lucy!_" She shrieked, her matchmaking habit kicking into overdrive.

Neither of the two boys said anything for a moment.

And no one noticed Lisanna off to the side, whose face was red, teeth clenched, and hands balled into angry fists. How foolish of her to think that Natsu could ever like her as more than a friend when that blonde bimbo was around.

Earlier when she'd tried flirting with him, all he did was get annoyed and tell her to let him eat his s'more in peace. He'd complained that she was getting too close and that he couldn't finish with her all up in his face. If that didn't anger her enough, here he was fighting with Gray for trying to kiss 'his' Lucy.

Lisanna sighed quietly. She almost felt like giving up on her longtime, childhood crush.

"Now I know you must all be surprised, but I have some important news I need to share with you guys." Erza suddenly appears, making everyone jump out of their skin in surprise.

"Erza-san! When did you get here?" Wendy questioned.

Erza looks down at her and smiles. "I've _been_ here, Wendy. In fact, I saw this whole charade." She tells her.

"Oh. Well why didn't you stop Natsu-san and Gray-san from fighting like you usually do? This time it had to be Lucy-san to get them to leave each other alone." Wendy explained innocently.

Erza just grinned, looked down and crossed her arms. "Well because they were actually having a personal issue this time as opposed to when they fight for simply no reason and end up tearing the whole guild down." She explained intelligently.

"I guess that makes sense..." Mira added, glancing at Natsu, Gray, and Lucy.

Lucy was off to the side away from them, blushing furiously. Natsu looked like he always did: comfortable, relaxed, and confident. Gray had his back to him, crossing his arms and pouting.

"So what were you gonna tell us, Erza-san?" Wendy asks again.

"Oh, yes. Everyone, I need your attention for a moment." She said, making them all gather around her. "Lucy may be the only one to know this, but I've been meeting up with Jellal lately." She admitted.

No one said anything for a moment, but in a way, they weren't _too_ surprised.

"...And he's coming with us to find Lucy's keys." She added quickly.

_This_ was what shocked everyone.

"What?!" They all questioned at the same time.

"I know, I know, it's a bit of a surprise, but you guys will get used to it. I just think he can really help us out in case we need it, and he also happens to know where this castle we're looking for is." She explains. She then glances at Lucy and says, "No offense to that Celestial Spirit of yours, but I'm not too sure if he even knows where he's going."

Lucy giggles a bit. "It's okay. I wasn't too sure either." She admitted.

"So then, when's he gonna be here?" Natsu asks, not as troubled by Jellal joining them as Erza had thought he'd be.

She smiled a bit, glad that they all understood. "Tomorrow morning. We're meeting him in Crocus."

This surprised everyone again. "_Crocus?!_" They screeched.

Erza nodded. "That's right. We're actually not too far from there." She told them.

"Crocus... You mean the capitol of Fiore? The huge city where the Grand Magic Games were held?" Wendy asked, just to make sure.

"Yes. Is that a problem, everyone?" Erza questioned, now sounding a bit more serious.

"N-No!" They all yelled.

And of course it wasn't a problem for them. Crocus was one of the best and most fun cities to go to in Fiore, and they all knew it. They just simply couldn't wait to get there and play...

"Good. Now why don't we all get back to camp so you can finish your s'mores?" She suggests.

* * *

Soon, everyone is around the huge bonfire. They're telling stories, making jokes, and laughing together like a normal, peaceful little guild.

Or at least, it _seemed_ peaceful.

Three out of the seven wizards there were actually quite troubled. One of them was doing a good job of hiding it, but the other two... not so much.

Gray and Lisanna both sat silently as they watched everyone smile and talk to each other. They couldn't bring themselves to tell one another of their current problems, which was unlike them.

Lately, since they both felt unwanted by the one they loved, they would tell each other why they were feeling down whenever they did. And somehow, since the way one felt, the other did too- it made them feel better.

But Gray couldn't tell Lisanna about how much Natsu had angered him earlier, because he knew it would just make her feel worse than she probably already did. Mostly because one half of the problem was that Natsu had called Lucy 'his', and Gray knew how much it would hurt Lisanna.

And Lisanna couldn't tell Gray about Natsu not wanting her, since she knew for a fact that it was because he wanted Lucy instead. Lisanna didn't want to remind Gray of that fact, since it would most definitely bother him. So that's why she stayed silent.

Later, though, after a night of worrying and hurting, she couldn't take it anymore. She had to tell _someone_. And while everyone was getting ready for bed and Lucy was alone, Lisanna thought _Why not just ask the bitch herself?_

Without thinking, she cautiously walked up to her. "Hey, Lucy..." She began quietly.

Lucy turned around, saw it was just Lisanna, and smiled sweetly. "Oh, hey, Lisanna. I thought you were someone else." She said with a grin on her face.

Lisanna tried to smile, but it came out forced. "U-Um, I was gonna ask you something..." She started.

"Go ahead. What is it?"

Lisanna looked down, suddenly ashamed of herself. _What am I doing? It's not her fault Natsu fell for her..._ "I was just... wondering..." She began saying, but trailed off. _It IS her fault. She just has to dress like a prostitute and be all over my Natsu-kun while I'm not there? Please._ Finally, her head snapped back up. "Do you like Natsu?" She asked sharply.

Lucy looked a bit surprised. Soon, though, she looked down; appearing just the slightest bit of annoyed. "Oh, no, not this again..." She mumbled quietly.

"What did you say?"

Lucy looked away from the ground but still didn't meet Lisanna's face. "I, umm..." She began nervously.

"Are you _dating_ Natsu?" Lisanna quickly asked, her voice sounding accusing.

Lucy immediatley looked her in the eye. "No, of course not!" She assured her.

Lisanna's shoulders slumped down in relief. "Oh. Okay." She said, mostly to herself.

Lucy looked away, glancing at everything _but_ Lisanna.

"You look a bit tense..." Lisanna noticed, eyeing Lucy suspiciously.

"I-I'm not." Lucy says quickly. She then looks directly at who she believes to be her friend, and rushes into her arms for a hug- surprising Lisanna.

"W-What's this for...?" She asks, her arms spread out in the air in shock as Lucy continued to cling to her.

"Oh, s-sorry." She said, loosening her grip a bit.

Lisanna glanced down at the cute little blonde. She looked kind of adorable, for some reason. So she couldn't help but pat her head and let her continue to hug her.

"I'm so sorry, Lisanna. You're my friend..." Lucy began quietly.

At this, Lisanna pulled her away so she could face her. "Don't be sorry. I _am_ your friend." She told her, and meant it.

Lucy smiled a bit, and Lisanna realized how pretty and un-slutty she looked when she was happy. "It's not like you made out with Natsu or anything. It wouldn't even matter to me..." She said, before trailing off and not finishing her sentence. She didn't want to lie to her friend.

Lucy looked up. "It-It wouldn't?" She questioned, catching Lisanna's attention immediately. Before she can respond, Lucy begins laughing. "That's good, then. Because I actually_ did_ make out with Natsu. Just once, though. And while drunk." She explained, then laughed some more; recalling of the night when Fairy Tail had thrown her a surprise party and she drunkenly hooked up with Natsu.

Lisanna tried to laugh. Really, she did.

But it was hard for her to force out the laughter when that kind of feeling when it came out naturally was the _exact opposite_ of what she was really feeling. Slyly, she tried to think of a way to ask this next question without sounding insanely, _deadly-jealous_. "So..." She began, a fake grin on her face from 'laughing'. "did he ever kiss you again after that?"

Lucy stopped laughing, and suddenly looked a bit serious. As if she was recalling something. And _that_ was something Lisanna definitely didn't want to see.

"Well..." Lucy started, making Lisanna want to slap her. "There was this one time. And... this other time. Lisanna, I'm asking you, since he was your childhood friend... Has he ever done anything like that to you before? But, in like... not a serious way? Because it almost seemed as if he was joking as he did it, both of the times. And it confused me to _no_ end. I just... hey, Lisanna?" Lucy said, noticing Lisanna spacing out.

She was as pale as a ghost. She looked like she was about to pass out.

Lucy waved a hand in front of her face. "Hey, Lisanna? Are you okay?" She asked the statue.

Lisanna felt like she was dying. There was no other reason for explaining why she had gone absolutely paralyzed with shock and anger; unable to move or talk for those few moments. "I-I'm not feeling very well. Sorry, Lucy, but... I think I'm going to bed. G'night." She said, her eyes clouded and voice entirely emotionless.

"Oh, o-okay. Good night!" Lucy called out after her, as she walked over to her sleeping bag.

As soon as she got in it, she buried her face beneath the blanket, covered her mouth with the pillow, and screamed out all her pain, anger, grief, and agony.

Her furious level was much too high. She had to walk away from Lucy before she truly, completely murdered her out of her jealous rage and hatred deep within that she was feeling...just for her.

Just for Lucy.


	7. Innermost Feelings

_**Author's Note: Hello there (; Did you guys like the last chapter? Me, eh, I felt a bit bad for making Lisanna so crazy. xD Lololol. Anyway, don't worry, SHE'S NOT EVIL. She isn't going to actually try to kill Lucy or anything, she's just kind of, um... bipolar. :) HAA. So... alright then, hope you enjoy chapter 7 =D I like how this one came out... Review? Comment? No? Okay then... O.o (Oh and by the way, there are only TWO chapters of the story left! xP)...**_

_**Love, CelineFullbuster**_

_**(And P.S., there WILL be more Fairy Tail fanfic coming from me in the future, I promiseee!:D)**_

"Come on, everyone, wake up already!" Erza ordered everyone, yelling harshly.

The other six members simply groaned in response, oblivious to Erza's anger.

She begins to tap her foot impatiently, then gets an idea. "Everyone, you better be up in five seconds or else I'll-"

And with that, each one of the Fairy Tail wizards bolted up with fright.

Erza just grinned. "That's more like it." She says triumphantly.

Natsu yawns loudly. "Erza, remind me again why you're waking us up so early?" He complained, now stretching.

She glared at him. "It's only seven in the morning, Natsu. And it's because we're meeting Jellal in Crocus today and-"

"Yaay, Crocus!" Wendy and Mira exclaimed gleefully.

Erza couldn't help but crack a smile. Even _she_ was excited for visiting Crocus, the capital city of Fiore; meaning it was the biggest, most fun-filled, beautiful city in the entire kingdom.

And as they're all walking in the direction of the place, only two heartbroken mages trail behind the excited group in a depressed heap. "This is just like when we first left the guild." Lisanna observed, her voice sounding strained.

"I know." Gray agreed solemnly.

And it was, since Erza, Mira, and Wendy were in the very front again, leading the group; just like when they were leaving Fairy Tail for this whole dumb mission. Also just like that walk, Natsu and Lucy were hiking together but some five or six yards behind the girls. Just like last time, of course, Gray and Lisanna were stuck in the very back; forced to watch Natsu and Lucy ahead of them as they walked the path.

At least there was some more distance between them this time- Natsu and Lucy were probably about four yards ahead of Gray and Lisanna.

"Why do they always have to be..." Lisanna started, but trailed off.

"Have to be together? I don't know, but it bugs me. They're _always_ together... as if they were permanently attached at the hip or something. That must be why Natsu thinks he freaking owns Lucy..." Gray commented, his voice cold and heartless.

He didn't even realize at the moment what he'd just said. He knew better than to remind Lisanna of the fact that Natsu may like Lucy, because he knew how much it pained her.

She looked down, this time more angry rather than sad. "Whatever." She grumbled.

They walk in comfortable silence for a few minutes, thinking their own thoughts.

But after a while, they both unexpectedly look up at the same time. They're both about to say something to each other, when Natsu and Lucy suddenly catch their eye.

He slings his arm around her shoulders, and whispers something in her ear. She giggles, and loosely puts her arm around his back. They continue walking like that, in a We're-Best-Friends-sort of way.

Gray and Lisanna both cringe. The realization that not only Natsu and Lucy could truly hold deep feelings for each other but the fact that they were also best friends at the same time hurt both Take Over mage and Ice Make wizard equally.

But, just for that one moment, neither of them felt jealous towards the pair in front of them.

For some odd reason, they felt joy. Happiness, and warmth. The reminder that true love could really exist in this harsh world actually comforted them, and made them feel safe. Even if it wasn't them who were lucky enough to obtain that kind of love...

Though the security feeling lasted only for a few seconds until the jealousy arose once again.

They'd almost felt guilty for being so insanely jealous of such a perfect couple- one that was most certainly destined to be- but their intense feelings held them back from the shame of it all.

They both teared their eyes off Natsu and Lucy. They immediately looked at each other, and yelled out the exact same words: "_I can't take it anymore!_"

And after a few moments of silence following their outbursts, they do something that still surprises them to this day- they laugh.

Maybe it was because they both had the exact same reaction to seeing the one they loved in the arms of someone else. Or that they yelled out precisely the same thing at the same time. Or maybe it was that they were truly broken inside, didn't have any tears left, and didn't know what else to do anymore besides just laugh it off.

After a few minutes of a full-on laugh attack, they both stop clutching their burning stomachs and wipe the tears from their eyes- the tears that came from _laughter_, rather than crying. Doing that somehow gave them strength, and the will to keep going.

And as they continue walking, they both feel strong and confident enough to talk about _anything_... no matter how much it hurt. "So, Gray, how'd that confession with Lucy go last night? Y'know, before Natsu barged in and stuff?" Lisanna asked nonchalantly, while kicking a rock on the pathway.

Gray shrugged, in a It-Doesn't-Even-Matter way. "It was pretty... weird, I guess. I just kinda said it... 'Lucy, I like you', and didn't even get a response or reaction from her before that idiot of yours _attacked_ me..." He began.

Lisanna laughed a bit. "He didn't just straight-up _tackle_ you, did he?" She questioned.

Gray nodded, a crazed look in his eye as he glanced straight at her. "_Yes_, he did... actually, no... you're right. He didn't tackle me. It was more of like a 90-mile-per-hour dive bomb."

Lisanna shook her head. "Because you were about to kiss Lucy weren't you." She said, her words sounding more like an accusation than a question.

Gray looked away from her face, and glanced around at anything but her. "Well... yeah." He admitted, hoping she wouldn't say next what he thought she was about to say next.

She sighed. "He must have been _really_ annoyed to see you so close to Lucy. Must have been why he attacked so suddenly..." She recalled, a hint of sadness in her voice.

Gray looked down, knowing exactly how she felt. "Well..." He piped up, hoping to distract her from her painful thoughts. "I saw you talking to him last night. You guys looked pretty happy. Anything happen?"

Lisanna groaned, and put her hands over her face. "Nope, not at all... Unless you count me hitting on him and he pushing me away in return like I'm some kind of psycho." She grumbled.

Gray chuckled. "You kind of really are a psycho, though..." He teased.

She punched his shoulder. "Don't make fun of me!"

Soon, the Fairy Tail mages reached the huge, flower-filled city of Crocus. "Alright everyone, I'm going off to find Jellal. What time should we all meet back up?" She asked the group.

"Umm, Erza-san, why can't we go with you?" Wendy asked curiously.

Mira giggled and winked at Erza, whose face turned the same color as her hair. "Oh, um... Well because, I don't want to waste your time in this magnificent city. You all _don't_ want to explore the place, then? Hmmm?" Erza asked the others.

"We do!" The rest all yelled back.

Erza grinned. "That's what I thought. Now, what time should we meet back up at the hotel?"

Lucy looked confused. "The hotel? Will we be staying there?" She asked curiously.

Erza looked surprised for a moment. "Oh, I may have forgotten to tell you, Lucy..." She began, then turned to face the rest of the crowd. "Everyone, we'll be staying one night in a hotel here in Crocus. The hotel will be the same one we stayed in during the Grand Magic Games, if you remember." She explained. She then turned to face Lucy again. "I'm sorry about this, Lucy. I really didn't want to delay the search for your keys, but-" She started.

But Lucy cut in. "-It's alright, Erza. Totally fine with me. Only because we get to really explore this place again!" Lucy squealed in delight.

"Yaay!" Wendy and Mira exclaimed happily, jumping up in the air.

"So what time do we meet at the hotel?" Lisanna asked, stepping a bit closer to Erza.

She looked up at the sky, seeing that it was still early in the morning. "Sometime in the evening should be fine. No rush."

And with that, everyone began talking at the same time. They were all either saying what places they should check out, arguing over where to go to first, or yelling that they were hungry and that they should first go to a restaurant.

All the while, Erza sweatdropped at the sight. Shaking her head in annoyance, she faced them all again. "Listen, everyone. Instead of arguing like a bunch of idiots, why don't you all just go in pairs? That way it'll be easier to decide where to go." She suggested.

They all glanced at each other, and grinned. "Good idea!" Wendy exclaimed, then grabbed Mira's hand. "Let's go to the clothing stores, Mira-san!" She squealed.

"Okay! Sounds good." She agreed, as they quickly walked off.

"Well, that was resolved easily..." Erza observed, noticing that everyone had immediately stopped arguing. She turned to face the remaining few, but saw only Gray and Lisanna. "Where's Natsu and Lucy...?!" Erza asked, sounding a bit alarmed- no one had heard them leave and Erza feared they may had been silently kidnapped.

Gray shrugged his shoulders and pouted.

Lisanna looked slightly uneasy, but she still put a grin on her face as she said to Erza, "Oh, they left already. They both ran outta here the second you said 'just go in pairs'..." She explained, mumbling a bit at the end.

Erza then didn't look as surprised. "I see. And I'm guessing you two will be walking around together then...?" She asked, eyeing Gray and Lisanna with slight disbelief. Even _she_ had to admit, they looked pretty damn awkward together.

"Yeah." Lisanna said plainly.

Erza tried to hold back a laugh at the two unlikely friends. "Oh, okay. Well then, I'll be seeing you." She waved, then turned around to go find Jellal...

Leaving Gray and Lisanna alone in the middle of an enormous city.

* * *

"Gray, what's that?" Lisanna asks as they walk past a dark, ancient, mysterious hole-in-the-wall type of store.

Gray glanced at it, and shrugged. "Dunno. Looks like some old magic shop or something."

They had been walking around Crocus for a couple hours already, making fun of passing tourists, laughing at ridiculous street shows that other people somehow found interesting, and complaining about the cheerfulness that was all over the entire city. They were having fun, but in their own kind of way.

Lisanna walked up to the store's huge window, and marveled at a bunch of glowing, colorful potions. "It's a potion shop!" She exclaimed.

Gray took a closer look. "...So?" He questioned.

She glances at him like he's insane. "I _know_ this place, I've heard about it a lot. It's called the Crocus Official Potion Factory. They make the _best_ and most _powerful_ potions in all of Fiore!" She yelled, grabbing onto his arm and jumping up and down.

He still has that bored look on his face as he glances back at the tiny shop. "That doesn't look like a factory to me..." He observed, eyeing it skeptically.

Lisanna pouted. "No. Everything from the factory is _imported_ here, and this is where they sell all the strongest potions in the entire kingdom." She explained, arms crossed.

Gray then looked at Lisanna. "Oh, okay? What's this have to do with us?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head.

Lisanna groaned irritably. She rolled her eyes in annoyance as she grabbed Gray by his shoulders and faced him. "It has to do with us because they sell the strongest _love_ potions here." She told him, pronouncing each word slowly as if he was a confused child.

Gray's eyes widened at this. _Now_ he understood why she'd been so excited. "But, Lisanna... I know what you're thinking, and honestly it's kind of a bad idea. Trust me on this..." He began.

Lisanna released his shoulders. "No! _You_ trust me on this. It'll work, I promise." She pleaded.

Gray looked down and slowly shook his head. "...no. It wouldn't feel right." He told her, still looking down at the stone ground.

Lisanna closed her eyes and sighed. _How annoying!_... She thought angrily. But then, she got an idea. "Alright then... if you want to live the rest of your life knowing your ultimate rival in is love with the girl you like while you can't do anything about it, I don't care..." She began.

At this, Gray looked up at her. "_What_ did you say?"

Lisanna smirked. "And you wouldn't believe what Lucy told me last night. She said she and Natsu have made out plenty of times. I'm pretty sure she likes him, but they're not dating... yet. If only you could change that, my poor Gray-kun..." She taunted.

Gray squeezed his eyes shut as he felt an invisible knife strike him in the heart. Hearing that Natsu and Lucy had actually kissed but still weren't dating really hurt him... as if it was just torture for him until they really started going out. "Do you... really think they'll be a couple?" He asked in a moment of weakness. This whole potion thing was truly driving him crazy.

Lisanna smiled in victory, and began pulling him into the shop. "Not if this works."

A few minutes later, they were inside the dark shop; talking to the old man who was running it.

"Hmm. Tell me about your little dilemma one more time." The elderly wizard behind the counter asked.

Lisanna tried not to roll her eyes in front of him. "Okay. Here it is again..." She began, annoyed that she had to tell it twice. This old guy seemed so forgetful that it was almost dangerous. "There's someone special... who I love. But he likes someone else, the exact girl who my friend here happens to be in love with. She likes the one I love back, and now me and Gray are stuck. Please, if there's anything that can help us... do tell us." She pleaded, her blue eyes filled with worry.

The old wizard smiled, now fully understanding their problem. "I see. A little love-square going on here, huh?" He said, chuckling a bit. He then reaches down beneath the desk, and pulls out a heart-shaped glass bottle with a glowing pink liquid inside. "This right here is my most powerful love potion. When opened, it creates a show of mesmerizing pink, red, and purple glittering fireworks that when viewed by a boy and girl, makes so that they are to be together for all eternity; forever in love." He explained in his old, scratchy voice.

Lisanna's eyes widened. "No _way_! That's perfect." She commented.

He smirked. "It's an old spell, but it's powerful. It isn't quite a potion, or at least does not seem like one when used. Instead, its magic makes it appear as though the love happened naturally. And if the couple it's being used on is already meant to be, it doesn't work. It continues to let fate work its own magic." He told them, putting the crystal-like, heart-topped bottle in front of them.

"That's amazing..." Lisanna breathed, marveling at the beautiful potion. "But... will it help both me and my friend's problems?" She asked, pointing a bit at a silent Gray.

He hadn't said a single word since they got in there.

"Of course." The man said, without even having to think about it. "You just need to have your desired partner next to you as the fireworks release. Your friend just needs to be a short distance from you and your boy, but with his girl as the person standing closest to him. Understand?" He asked.

Lisanna looked down a bit. "So Natsu just has to be standing next to me as the fireworks go off... and Gray has to be away from us but with Lucy next to him?" She asked, just to make sure.

The man smiled a bit. "Precisely." He assured.

Lisanna then got a huge, goofy grin on her face. "Then I'll take it!" She shrieked.

And as she and Gray walk out of the dark potion shop with the heart-shaped crystal bottle in her hands, Gray begins to feel a bit more uneasy. "Lisanna... are you sure about this?" He questioned.

She nodded as she continued looking ahead of her. "Of course. Aren't you?"

He looked down in shame, still not liking the idea. "But it'll be like we're forcing them to fall in love..." He mumbled quietly.

As soon as Lisanna hears that, she steps in front of Gray. "Listen to me..." She begins, her voice sharp and angry.

But as Gray looks up, she sees the hurt and sadness in his eyes. Immediately, she feels guilty for being so rude to someone who'd helped her out so much. She takes a deep breath, and tries another approach. She grabs his arm gently and leads him to a nearby bench. "Gray... I'm sorry. I didn't do this just for me, I bought this for you too. It's for _us_. We both went through major heartbreak together, and it's time we truly do something about it." She explained, her voice soft and sweet as she rubbed his arm; comforting him.

"Well, I appreciate that but-" He begins.

"-I did this because we're friends, Gray. I really do care about you... and your happiness. _Believe_ me, I know just how bad you want Lucy... because of how much I want Natsu. You see, Gray? We're the same. So we should do things together, like this." She said as she held up the potion.

He glances at it, and winces. "This is just so messed up..." He whispered.

Lisanna couldn't take it anymore. Her mood immediately changed, and not for the better. She sighed and looked up into the sky; growling at the white, heart-shaped fluffy cloud that was hovering overhead. "If that's really what you think..." She began, her voice now sounding careless; unlike the kind voice she'd been using earlier. "Then I guess you don't mind that the lovely Lucy Heartfilia will never, _ever_ be yours." She commented nonchalantly, looking down at her fingernails.

Gray immediately looked at her, as she knew he would.

"And if that's really the case, I'm guessing you don't care that some other guy _that isn't you_ will get to be the one to share her love and one day have a happy family with." She taunted, but still not looking at him.

Gray flinched. "Lisanna..." He whispered. "Stop..."

She smirked. "But if you were to change your mind..." She said, letting the words roll off her tongue with ease. "Then that adorable little blondie could be all yours. And _not_ Natsu's."

And as soon as she said that Lucy wouldn't belong to Natsu, poor Gray began to give in to his throbbing heart.

* * *

Gray buried his face in his arms, which were resting on his knees as he sat crouched next to a wall in a dark alleyway behind some store.

He'd told Lisanna a couple hours ago that he needed some time to think, and she'd agreed. She was now inside the store, shopping around while she waited patiently for Gray.

_Natsu always gets what he wants... I remember hating him for that since we were still young_... Gray thought to himself. _And now, he's got Lucy. Right when I realize what true love is and who I could possible want to be with for the rest of my life... Natsu just comes in and claims her!_

Gray clenched his teeth in anger at the thought._ I can't handle the unfairness of it anymore. I need a break. And want just this one thing... He can have everything else, it could be ANYTHING else in this world, just not Lucy..._

Suddenly, Gray felt something moist on his shirt sleeve. He rubbed his eye, and felt a cold tear slide down his cheek. _My life has been hell because of him. I want just this one thing from him, and that's all... Is that too much to ask for?_

Gray subconsciously shakes his head, and wipes another tear. _Maybe Lisanna's right. This way, we can both have what we want..._

He soon stands up, and cautiously walks inside the store.

"So, you get all that?" Lisanna asked one more time, just to be sure.

They were now standing outside the store, talking in the alleyway Gray had been in.

He nodded at her solemnly, but didn't say a word.

"Good. Now that the game plan is set, we can truly enjoy ourselves!" She squealed, throwing her arms up in the air joyfully.

Gray still didn't say anything, which bugged Lisanna. She grabbed his arm, and made him face her. "Hey, you! Didn't you agree to this? Now's not the time to be moping around or having second thoughts, it's the time to celebrate! Can't you believe it? Natsu will finally be mine and Lucy _will be all yours_." She said, pronouncing the last few words with exaggerated seriousness.

Gray cracked a tiny smile, making Lisanna grin. "Good boy. Now, Gray-kun, let's go back to the hotel and start up the show!"

* * *

_**(Author's Note: And now... NALU TIIIIIME! xD... I've been dying to write these scenes. And I know you guys have been waiting patiently for me to write some more adorable NaLu scenes for you! Hehe. Okay, sorry 'bout that... Back to the story) x3 **_

"That place was awesome!" Natsu yelled, rubbing his full stomach.

"I _told_ you! And you thought the Rain Forest Cafe would be weird. Wasn't it just beautiful?" Lucy gushed, as she and Natsu continued walking down the streets of Crocus.

It was already 2:30 in the afternoon, and they'd just had a late lunch. Earlier that day, they had explored all the national monuments, seen a concert that was live downtown, and looked through most of the popular souvenir shops.

"Hey Lucy, what's going on over there?" Natsu asked, pointing to an area up ahead that was full of colorful tents, lit-up game booths, and huge roller coasters.

She gasped immediately. "Whoa! It's a carnival!" She shrieked, hands flying up to her mouth in disbelief. She hadn't been to a carnival _that_ big in ages, and never with someone from Fairy Tail. Just looking at it excited her so much that her heart tingled with glee. Without thinking, she suddenly grabbed Natsu's arm and tugged him all the way over there. "It looks like so much fun! Come on, Natsu!" She yelled happily.

And as they're on their way, Lucy notices Natsu slowing down a bit. "Hey, what's wrong?" She asks, looking back at him.

He glances down a bit. "It's just... I'm really starting to miss Happy. He once told me about how he heard of these carnival things and always wanted to go to one. And now that we finally find one, he's not even with us..." He explained solemnly.

Lucy also looked down, now feeling guilty for having so much fun without the blue flying feline. "Oh... I feel kinda bad too. But, remember Master said we couldn't bring any of the Exceeds? That it would be too dangerous once we faced... you know, _them_? If he hadn't told us that, we definitely would have Happy with us..." Lucy explained in a comforting voice.

Natsu looked up a bit, noticing Lucy was still holding his arm... like always. "Yeah..." He agreed quietly.

She smiled, seeing Natsu look up. "And Happy would have been here with us right now. So, instead of being sad that the Master didn't let him come, let's have some fun instead and explain it all to him once we get back... so it can seem like he was with us all along." She suggested, grinning now.

Natsu grinned back. "Yeah. You're the best, Lucy."

Once they get to the carnival, Natsu takes one look at the roller coasters and begins to gag. "I can't... handle... looking at those..." He sputtered, face already green.

Lucy sweatdropped. "Uhh, I though you would. Why don't we try the games then?" She suggested.

They soon walk over to the ring toss, and Natsu surprises Lucy by actually winning the grand prize. "And we have a winner! You can pick a prize from anywhere, lad." The man behind the booth told Natsu.

"Sweet!" He grinned, and began looking at the enormous stuffed animals. He walks over to the huge, adorable, pink stuffed bunny. "I'll take this one!" He exclaimed.

The man nods and pulls it down from the metal ceiling above. "Here ya go." He says as he hands him the bunny.

Lucy giggled a bit. She knew Natsu could be such a weird guy. But even so, she'd expected him to at least pick the big, red stuffed dragon or the fire-themed bean bag chair rather than the bunny.

And nothing shocks her more than when Natsu hands the bunny right over to her, grinning with just the slightest hint of blush on his cheeks. "Here." He says, grabbing her arms so that she can hug it. "This is for you."

She gasps slightly, glances at the bunny, and then back at Natsu. "Y-You... won this for _me_?" She questioned.

Natsu nodded. "Duh, of course. Why else would I play that dumb game?" He asked, as if the answer had always been obvious.

Lucy then broke into a huge grin. "Aww! You're the sweetest, Natsu!" She gushed, then moved the bunny to her right arm as she side-hugged Natsu with her left; nuzzling her face into his chest affectionately.

"Hey, you don't have to do that..." He groaned, blushing even more and hiding his face so that Lucy can't see it.

"I must say, you two are quite the cute couple. When's the wedding?" The man running the ring toss teased.

Lucy immediately realizes what she's doing and pulls away, blushing furiously. "Why do people always say that..." She whined, embarrassed.

Natsu and the man just laughed, while Lucy angrily stomped her foot.

Later, as they're walking around the carnival some more, they soon notice Mira and Wendy. "Mirajane, Wendy! Over here!" Lucy called, waving her free hand up gleefully.

They notice her, wave, and begin walking over. "Have you guys found the hotel yet? Me and Wendy haven't seen it anywhere." Mira said once they caught up to Natsu and Lucy.

"Nope, but don't you remember where it is? It's called Honeybone." Lucy told them.

Instantly, Mira's face lit up. "Oh yeah! I totally forgot the name." She said, her blue eyes widened a bit. "It should be easier to find it now." She announced to Wendy, who just grinned and nodded.

The four of them talked for a bit, saying the names of the places they'd visited and giving recommendations. But after a while, Mira notices Lucy clinging to Natsu a bit more than usual. "So, I just kinda realized this, but... you two are on a date again, aren't you?" She accused, grinning with a matchmaking-kind of a glint in her eye.

Natsu just chuckled, but Lucy gasped and began blushing again like crazy. "W-What? I mean, what gave you _that_ idea...!? And, what do you mean, '_again_'?!" She questioned, her back to Natsu and fully facing Mira.

Mira just laughed, and winked at her. "You guys might really be in love, you know that?"

Wendy giggled, making Lucy's face burn even more. "M-Mirajane! What are you t-talking about?!" She exclaimed, covering her red face with her hands.

"I'm talking about you and Natsu." She said, still smiling. She glanced at Natsu, and nodded. "Right, Natsu?"

He grinned a bit. "Sure, Mirajane."

Lucy groaned. "Not you too, Natsu!" She whined.

Mira, Natsu, and Wendy continue to tease Lucy for a bit. But after a while, once they're done laughing, Mira and Wendy remember about a show they wanted to see; which was about to start. "Oh no! We forgot about the show, Mira-san!" Wendy exclaimed.

Mira's eyes widened for a moment. "Oh yeah, that." She recalls. She then turns to face Natsu and Lucy. "There's this thing we really want to see. Do you guys want to come?"

Lucy glances at Natsu, who simply shrugs. "Eh, we'll be fine. We already saw a concert or two earlier. You guys have fun." Lucy says as she shifts her big stuffed bunny onto her other arm.

"Alrighty then. And Lucy, did you want us to hold that for you?" Mira offers, pointing to the huge pink bunny.

Lucy smiles gratefully. "Sure, if you want. Just give it back to me once we meet up at the hotel." She says as she hands over the prize.

Mira smiled, taking the bunny. "Okay then, so we'll see you guys later. Oh, and Natsu... don't forget to kiss Lucy!" She called out to him as she and Wendy began walking away.

Natsu's about to say something when Lucy immediately covers his mouth with her hand. "Say just one thing and I'll force you onto the Ferris Wheel with me." She threatens quietly.

He eyes the Ferris Wheel slowly, and almost pukes again.

As they continue walking around the carnival, Natsu notices a huge, creepy fun house. "Hey Lucy, wanna go in there?" He asks, pointing at it.

She glances at it, and notices that it's a haunted house-themed, difficult-to-navigate-through type of fun house. "Umm... nah. S-Seems boring..." She says, careful not to make eye contact with Natsu.

He looks at her, surprised. "Boring? But how? It's supposed to be a haunted house kinda thing, right?" He asks as he glances back at it.

Lucy doesn't respond.

And soon, Natsu realizes why. "Aww, I get it. You're too scared to go through it!" He accuses.

Her head immediately snaps back up. "Am not!" She denies.

Natsu grins and crosses his arms. "Yeah, right. Let's go through it then." He taunts.

Lucy looks down and bites her lip. She takes another look at the haunted house, and is contemplating to either run away at full speed when Natsu's not paying attention or just summoning all her courage and going through it.

Before she can come up with an idea, Natsu quickly begins pulling her inside. "Hey! W-What are you doing?!" She shrieked.

Soon though, they're both inside the dark, cob web-filled fun house. And Natsu learns that he was totally, completely right when he said Lucy was too scared to go inside.

First, because she's screaming at every single little thing that pops up in front of them. Second, because she's breathing real hard as if she was actually in mortal danger. And third, because she's clinging on to him like a little girl.

That last one, though, he didn't really mind.

He laughs, trying to calm her down every few seconds. "Don't worry, Lucy, no one's really gonna hurt you. I'm here, remember?" He says, patting her head as she hugged his chest tightly.

But soon, every single light goes off. It's completely pitch-black dark. And it _doesn't_ seem like it was part of the fun house.

"What's... g-going on?" She whimpered, sounding like she was on the verge of tears.

Natsu moves away from her and looks around a bit, yet finds no reason as to why the lights may have turned off. "I actually... don't know." He said truthfully, noticing that he could no longer hear anyone outside the fun house or in it.

"I c-can't see a thing..." She whispered, and suddenly got the chills. Somehow, it had dropped about ten degrees within those few seconds.

All of a sudden, they hear a horrible, evil villain-like laugh come out of no where. It literally seemed like it was everywhere, yet _no where_ at the same time. A loud chain saw suddenly turns on, making Lucy scream with fear. She instantly runs up to Natsu and hugs him again. "Natsu, do something!" She yelled, clinging tightly onto his chest for dear life- her voice sounding absolutely terrified.

Natsu chuckled a bit. _Wait, he chuckled? How can he be laughing at a time like this?!._.. Lucy screamed in her mind.

"You aren't _that_ scared, are you?" He said, his voice sounding as though he'd been grinning as he said the words. But soon, he felt her trembling with fear...

And realized how tightly she was holding on to him. She was so close that he could even feel her heart throbbing. It was on his chest, practically pounding against him. He knew she needed comfort, so he wrapped his arms around her protectively. "You'll be fine, Lucy..." He whispered gently into her ear. "I'm here to protect you." He breathed, Lucy noticing that his voice somehow sounded sexy and... _seductive_.

It's dead-silent for a moment, until a scream is heard from somewhere else in the fun house.

Lucy instantly looks up at Natsu, who looks down at her at the same time. And before they realize it, their faces are only centimeters apart.

It's at that point that Natsu realizes how badly he wants to kiss her...

But she then holds onto him even tighter, practically cutting off his ability to breathe in. Yet even so, the fact that she's squeezing him so aggressively turns him on even more.

He's about to find her lips through the darkness when suddenly, all of the lights turn back on. And a door opens, one that reveals to be the exit of the fun house.

"You should have heard yourself!" Natsu yelled, laughing. They had already gotten out of the fun house, and were back in the carnival.

Lucy blushed, and punched his shoulder. "I wasn't _that_ scared, idiot." She mumbled irritably.

He laughs a bit more, and notices that the sun's starting to go down. "Hey, you think we should get going soon?"

Lucy also looks up at the sky, seeing that it's getting late. "Yeah, probably. Let's start heading over to the hotel now." She told him.

As they begin walking back, Natsu notices some woods near the end of the carnival. "Hey, why don't we take a shortcut?" He suggests.

Lucy follows his gaze to the woods, and shakes her head. "No, it would be better to go through the city. We don't know this place very well, so we might end up getting lost in those woods." She explained.

Natsu glanced back at the woods, then in the direction of where Lucy was going. "But I still remember the scent of our hotel from the last time we stayed in it. I _know_ it's this way! So, come on. Let's take the shortcut." He said quickly, grabbing her arm and pulling her over to the woods.

Lucy gives in and decides to follow him. Since he's a Dragon Slayer, of course he has the best sense of smell. But as they're walking through the woods, the setting sun makes the temperature drop a bit.

She begins to shiver, now feeling cold in just her pink tank top and white pleated mini skirt. "N-Natsu, give me your scarf or something. I'm f-freezing over here." Lucy complained as she followed him through the woods. The trees were so high that you could barely even see the sky, the fact that the sun was currently going down not helping.

Natsu turned a bit. "No way. You'll make it smell all girly." He whined, recalling the last time he'd let her cuddle with his scarf. He couldn't get the delicious scent of her off it for days and it had been driving him crazy... all it did was make him want to be that close to her again.

Lucy groaned. "Well then, hurry up and find the hotel. It's gonna be dark soon, and I'm gonna freeze my butt off." She complained. But right as she said that, he stopped walking.

It was so sudden that Lucy accidentally bumped into his back. "Hey, watch where you're going!" She cried, but he didn't respond. "Natsu...?" She questioned, tapping his shoulder. "Why'd you stop?"

Suddenly, he turned around. "Are you still cold?" He asked quietly, not meeting her eyes.

Lucy looked surprised for a moment. "Huh? I mean, yeah... why?" She asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

He didn't respond. And in a flash, he was shirtless.

Lucy gasped at this. "What the hell? Natsu, you're not Gray." She laughed.

He still didn't say anything as he handed her his long shirt. "Just take it." He ordered.

She looked down a bit, and noticed his rock-hard abs. Just the sight of them made her blush crimson. She then looked away so he wouldn't see her blushing face, and noticed that they were in a clearing.

In fact, they were on top of a cliff. The sky was now visible, and they were standing over an _ocean_. The water far beneath them glittered where the last remaining sun light touched it, as beautiful as could be. The whole area they were in was actually an amazing view itself, but Lucy hadn't noticed because she'd been thinking about how cold she was. The sky overhead was orange, pink, and gold; the sun still making its way down the clouds.

"Lucy?" Natsu asked quietly.

She immediately turned back to him, and saw he was still holding his shirt.

"B-But... it's not like that would keep me warm, silly. It's just a shirt."

Natsu grinned. "You'd be surprised."

She sighs and eventually takes it, noticing that it had only one sleeve. "Why does it have a hole where the other sleeve should be?" She asked curiously as she slipped the shirt over her shoulders.

He just shrugged, watching her put it on.

Once the long shirt was covering her like a blanket, she noticed how warm it was; like a heater. And she realized that since it had been close to Natsu's body, it had somehow absorbed his natural warmth.

"Comfy?" Natsu asked, grinning.

Lucy nodded slowly, still blushing a bit. She then watched Natsu stretch, his six-pack practically screaming for her attention. She could almost hear the "I'm Sexy and I Know It" theme playing as she continued to gawk at his toned, half-naked body.

But as soon as he finished stretching, Lucy quickly looked away as though she'd never been looking in his direction. "S-So... pretty sunset, don'tcha think?" She asked, trying to start a conversation to distract herself from Natsu's body.

He walked up to the side of the cliff, ocean directly below while the setting sun was directly in front. "I guess."

She followed him to the edge of the cliff, and watched the sun go down a bit more. "It's so pretty. This whole city, it's amazing. I wish I could live here... there's so many flowers surrounding this place too, that it seems like it's _always_ breathtaking. Don't get me wrong, though, I love our city of Magnolia but-" Lucy stopped rambling when she noticed that Natsu had disappeared.

She quickly turned back around, facing the clearing in front of her. She spots him a couple yards up, playing with some unusual flowers. "Natsu? What are you doing?" She called out to him.

He glances at her. "Hey, Lucy! Come look at these flowers, they're so weird!" He yelled back.

She then walks over to him, and takes a look at what's in his hand. They're huge, super fluffy, and white cottonball-like flowers. They look like nothing but balls of fluff, actually. She takes another look at them, and then glances around.

It's then that she notices they're _surrounded_ by colorful, unique flowers. They went on and on for miles, this place was actually a HUGE clearing. The woods were still on the other side, but far ahead.

Lucy then flops down on a bed of daisy-like pink flowers. She looks up into the equally beautiful sky, and begins rambling again about the beauty of the entire place.

Of course, Natsu starts getting a bit bored with the whole 'beauty' talk again. "Aw, of course you'd think all that. You're not hardcore and tough like how it is back in Magnolia." He teases, sitting down next to her.

She then sits up. "I am too tough enough for Magnolia!" She argued, before realizing that Magnolia wasn't even a 'hardcore' type of city. "I mean... I'm plenty strong."

Natsu chuckled. "Yeah, but not without your keys you're not."

She pouted, and crossed her arms; still sitting next to him over the surrounding flowers. "I _can_ be. In fact, I could get stronger than you if I wanted."

He laughed a bit, not realizing that she was serious.

But she was. And his laughter only made her more determined to show him that she was strong even if she hardly ever showed it. As he laughs, she takes a deep breath... and full-on tackles him.

He quickly stops laughing and falls over in surprise, accidentally kicking up some of the cottonball flowers and making their fluffy white petals fly all over the place. "No way... did you just _tackle_ me?" He breathed out in disbelief from underneath her.

Lucy grins, sitting atop him triumphantly. "And if I did?"

He smirked evilly. "Well then, girl, it is _on_." He said, and they soon began to wrestle slightly.

As they did, they kept rolling around in the endless flowerbeds; laughing hysterically.

And somehow, Lucy managed to pin Natsu down. She immediately sits on his legs in victory, yelling, "See? I told you! I _can_ be stronger."

He narrowed his eyes at her and grinned. "Oh no you can't!" He yelled as he escaped her grip, pinned her down with ease, and held her wrists above her head on the ground. He put his knees on either side of her waist so she couldn't escape his grip and said, "You see... Told you so." He then lowered his face to hers just to taunt her.

But still, she laughed evilly. "Nope. You could nev...-" She began to say, but stopped mid-sentence. She notices their awkward position, and her heart begins throbbing even more. She looks up at Natsu; whose face is still hovering over hers.

_He's still shirtless_... She realizes. His only clothing being his scarf and white pants.

It's then that she notices how handsome he truly is. The last remaining bits of sunlight shining on his face, making his skin glow beautifully... His eyes burn with passion, and her heart beats with love.

She's absolutely amazed.

The world could never compare to the beauty that was... _him_. And as she realizes this, her eyes slowly begin to close... knowing full well what he would do next.

Natsu slowly began to bring his lips down to hers; he'd been waiting patiently for this kiss all day.

And right when their lips are finally about to meet...

... they hear someone calling for them.

Mira and Wendy, they were looking for them.

Natsu quickly rolls off Lucy before they see though, luckily.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Lisanna whispered to Gray.

Gray looked down, and didn't answer.

He wasn't feeling too good. Maybe it was the fact that Lisanna was about to unleash a powerful love potion that was making his stomach hurt with uneasiness.

Erza- who was now accompanied by Jellal- and the others had agreed on going to one more place in the city all together before going back to the hotel for the night.

They had walked downtown, which was beautiful at night with its evening lights and neon signs- and were now on a pier with an endless view of the ocean and night sky.

Lisanna glances at Gray again, who looks like he's about ready to pass out. "Hey, you!" She whispered angrily. "Don't back out on me now. We're _this_ close to getting what we want. All I have to do is open this bottle and-"

Gray cuts her off by putting his arm out in front of her, silencing her. "Just do it now. Before I change my mind." He whispered; his voice gravely serious.

Lisanna grins a bit, and pulls out the bottle. "But remember. You need Lucy next to you for this to work, and Natsu needs to be standing near me. So let's walk over to them right now, and _make sure_ that Lucy is far enough from me and Natsu. You got that?" She explained quietly.

He looked at her, and they both nodded. With that, they slowly began to walk up to the ones they love.

But, as they're walking over to them, Wendy pipes up out of no where; gasping sharply. "Oh no! I just remembered I forgot my shopping bag in the Crocus Gardens!" She cried, and immediately began running off the dock.

Lisanna inhales sharply as the young girl runs past her, almost making her drop the potion in the water. "Phew." She breathes out in relief, once Wendy's gone and she holds the bottle safely in her hands. She glances back at Gray, whose face expression reads: _Wow, that could have been bad..._

"Wendy, wait!" Mira yells after her, but Wendy doesn't hear her. "Wendy! I've got your bag right here!" She cried out as she pushed past Lisanna and began sprinting to catch up with Wendy.

And as soon as Gray sees Mira start running, he hears a crashing sound. Something odd, like glass on wood.

_Wait a second... glass on WOOD?_... He thought to himself as he glanced down, noticing that they were all standing on a wooden dock. _Oh no... please don't tell me that was-_

His thoughts are cut off as he hears a loud whistling noise, something like... fireworks.

And as he turns around in horror to see Lisanna with a look of utter disbelief on her face, hands stretched out, and a broken bottle on the dock with fireworks shooting out... his nightmare is confirmed.

Not only that, but soon everyone else turns to see where the noise came from. They notice the glittering pink, red, and purple fireworks spewing from the dock and up into the sky; and begin watching them with awe.

Gray sighs in defeat, their plan a total, complete failure.

Lisanna stomps her foot angrily, completely furious about all the time and money wasted just for the stupid potion; all for it to go to waste.

But even so, they both notice how pretty the fireworks look. So they watch them for a moment, still unable to believe what has happened to them. _How could this possibly happen..._ they both thought to themselves as they were soon mesmerized by the beautiful light show.

Lisanna had been so angry about the epic fail of their plan that she didn't even realize the other half of their problem...

Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia.

Jellal Fernandes and Erza Scarlet.

Gray Fullbuster and Lisanna Strauss.

They were standing next to each other, watching the gorgeous, glowing fireworks fly up in front of them; mesmerizing them all.

And changing their fate into one filled with a lifetime of love, commitment for all eternity, and the pledge to stay together... forever.


	8. Demons and Fairies

_**Author's Note: Hai guys! Celine Fullbuster here, reporting for duty. ;D I can't thank you enough for all the reviews/comments! You guys make me so happy (: Anyway I've decided there will be exactly 10 chapters in this story, so now there's just 2 chapters left! YAY! xD... LOL & just curious, do you think I should make a sequel to this fanfic? Or just write more NaLu/GraLu/or LoLu for you guys? Tell me in the comments, pretty please! x3**_

**_So I don't know if you've noticed, but so far in this story you've seen: In-character Natsu, curious Natsu, shy Natsu, sweet Natsu, jealous Natsu, possessive Natsu, & in this chapter you'll see... PERVY NATSU! xD Hehehe. Yeah, hope you don't mind ;) Anyway, COMMENT/REVIEW when you're done reading, would be much appreciated! (I always reply back!:D) Anyway, I'll stop rambling now and let you get on with the story! YAAY! XDDD..._**

_**Love, CelineFullbuster! :)**_

* * *

Lucy glanced around the enormous hotel lobby in awe. "Wow... I've never stayed in a hotel _this_ beautiful before." She breathed out as she continued to look around.

"I know, right? It's so amazing!" Wendy exclaimed, jumping around with excitement.

Mira looked down at her, and grinned. "Staying here is gonna be so much fun. You couldn't expect anything less of a hotel in Crocus!" She explained gleefully.

"So true, Mira-nee." Lisanna agreed with a smile as she eyed her sister. She then glanced at Gray, who was standing next to her. "Right, Gray-kun?"

He just silently nodded back in approval.

Natsu, though, simply rolled his eyes. Sure, he knew this place was cool and all, but it wasn't worth going on and on about how beautiful and amazing it was; like all the girls had been doing the entire day. "Eh, in my life I've probably stayed at a better hotel than this." He commented, his arms folded behind his head while he rested against them.

Lucy stopped glancing around the room and directed her glare straight at him. "Oh, yeah? Just because you travel a lot doesn't mean you've stayed in better hotels than this one in _Crocus_, the capital of Fiore. And besides, your 'life' isn't even that long. Therefore, you couldn't have left the kingdom and found a better place than here to spend the night." Lucy pointed out, her hands on her hips as she defended her current favorite city.

Natsu just shrugged, and looked away.

Lucy smiled and let out a breath, knowing she'd won. She then looked around the room for Erza, but she still wasn't there yet. To keep from getting bored, Lucy turned back to Natsu. "Anyway, how long _is_ your life so far? I just realized you've never told me your age... How old are you?" She asked, now feeling a bit curious.

Natsu's eyes widened a bit, but then he grinned as he turned back to face her. "Umm... older than you, okay?" He said, a tiny blush appearing on his cheeks.

She looked at him suspiciously. "So, you're eighteen? Is that what you meant to say?"

He then looked down, avoiding her eyes. "Uh... yeah, sure." He mumbled quietly.

Lucy grinned, now understanding why he'd began acting a bit strange. "You're lying. I highly doubt you're eighteen." She told him, shoving him a bit.

He sighed, and looked up. A pout was on his face, his arms crossed as he continued to avoid her face. "Fine, you're right. I'm actually... still just sixteen." He told her, looking down at the lobby floor.

Lucy didn't quite know why, but she began to giggle after he'd told her that.

"What's so funny?" He asked, as he turned his head to look at her.

She continued to laugh. "So... _I'm_ older than you. But you were always just too embarrassed to tell me." She said in between bits of laughter, now holding her burning stomach.

Natsu blushed a bit again, his arms still crossed. "S-So? I'm still tougher than you!"

"But... I'm smarter than you!" She countered, and then moved so they were standing face-to-face. She got so close that Natsu could feel her warm breath on his lips.

"Hey... w-what are you doing...?" He asked, but his soft voice soon trailed off. Being so close to her lips but not able to kiss her with their friends around was like torture to him.

She raised her hand to the top of her head, and moved it straight across. "I'm checking to see who's taller." She announced, as her hand slid in the air directly over onto the top of his head. "A_ha_!" She suddenly yelled triumphantly, immediately backing away from Natsu. "We're the exact same height!"

Natsu narrowed his eyes. "We are not." He argued, feeling his face heat up on its own.

"Yes, we are. You just saw m-" She began, but soon cut off her sentence as she saw Erza walk into the hotel, Jellal by her side.

Soon, they walk up to the group that consisted of Lucy, Natsu, Wendy, Mira, Lisanna, and Gray. "About time you two got here! What were you guys even doing? Sneaking away on a secret date?" Mira teased as Erza and Jellal approached them.

Erza instantly blushed scarlet, and Jellal simply looked down and smiled.

"O-Of course that wasn't the reason, Mirajane. Now, have you all decided on the rooms?" Erza asked, quickly recovering from the deep red blush that had rivaled her hair.

Everyone soon glanced around in confusion, unaware that this whole time they were supposed to be talking about room arrangements.

"Well, um... we haven't really talked about that yet..." Mira admitted slowly.

Erza took in a deep breath, and closed her eyes in frustration. She then briefly counted the number of people in the group, and walked up to the long reservations desk. "We need rooms, for one night. Me and my seven other friends." She told one of the people running the desk.

The man nods and looks down at his computer, types up a few things, and then glances back up at Erza. "Alright, but all we have left are rooms with only two single beds in them. So you'll have to purchase four different rooms, for the eight of you." He explained.

As soon as he said that, Mira and Lisanna instantly ran to each other. "We'll be sharing one room!" They quickly yelled.

Erza glanced down and noticed Wendy, who was standing by herself. "And I'll stay in a room with Wendy." She said, rather quickly. She'd realized that there was an uneven amount of girls and boys in the group, so she had to choose the first female she saw to stay the night in a hotel room with before she was left to staying with a guy.

So then that left Jellal, Gray, Natsu... and _Lucy_.

It suddenly grew very silent. The first two rooms were now taken, so there were just two left. The four of them glanced at each other, feeling a bit uneasy. Choosing a partner to stay the night with seemed more than a bit awkward to them at the moment, since picking between the selected people were so obviously _not_ sleepover buddy-material.

The silence was broken as they all heard Mira begin giggling. They glanced at her, and she pointed a bit at Lucy. "Hey, Lucy-san, it looks like you're gonna have to spend a night with one of the boys!" She exclaimed, an evil grin now on her face.

Lucy's face instantly turned beet red, and she turned back to one of the men running the huge reservation desk. "I-I demand a room of my own! So make that _five_ rooms for all of us."

Erza chuckled a bit, slightly annoying Lucy. She turned to her, face still blushing furiously. "What?" She asked Erza, not even afraid at the moment of questioning the almighty Titania.

Erza ignored Lucy's attitude and smiled gently. "Sure, we can make it five rooms instead of four, but _only_ if you have enough jewels to purchase your own room." She told her, already knowing what the outcome would be.

Lucy's jaw dropped in shock. She hadn't even remembered that she was still flat-_broke_ and just barely had enough jewels to pay for her rent this month. "I... I-" She began, but was still speechless.

Erza turns back to the man running the desk. "Change it back to four rooms. She doesn't have the jewels."

Lucy took another frantic look around. "H-Hey, Wendy, can I stay with you and Erza? P-Pretty please?" She asked the sweet young girl.

Wendy smiled up at her. "I _would_ let you if there was enough beds in our room." She said plainly, causing Lucy's heart to sink.

She then sighed and noticed that Natsu and Gray were already fighting, proving that they simply _couldn't_ share a room together.

Lucy then glanced at Jellal. She noticed that he actually looked calm, firm, and composed; unlike she, Gray, and Natsu. _But I can't stay in a room with Jellal, no WAY!._.. Lucy screeched in her mind.

Erza began to hear crashing noises, and she saw that Natsu and Gray were already in a full-on fist fight. "Hey, you two! You better stop fighting before I make you!" She yelled at them.

They stopped instantly, still terrified of Erza's wrath.

"Now come here." She commanded them.

Obediently, they walked up to her in silence. She tells Lucy and Jellal to join them, and they soon come forward too. "Now the four of you, listen. I know it'll be a bit awkward to share a room with one another, but it's just for one night." She explained gently. She then eyed Gray and Jellal, and nodded. "Jellal, Gray... I believe you two are the more, how should I put this... more _mature_ of the males here. I think you guys should share one of the rooms."

Natsu instantly piped up. "Hey! You callin' me immature, Erza?!" He questioned, sounding only a little offended.

She rolled her eyes at him, then glanced at Lucy. "And I believe that since you and Natsu are better friends, the two of you should share the last room."

Gray and Jellal glanced at each other, and they both nodded. Then Erza, Mira, Wendy, and Lisanna all turned to face Lucy and Natsu.

Lucy blushed deeply... again. And it got even redder when Mira winked at her and Natsu. "Turns out the couple will end up sleeping together after all." She proclaimed slyly. She was _definitely_ shipping them too hard.

But Natsu seemed pretty indifferent about the whole thing. He turned to Lucy and grinned, ruffling her hair a bit. "You have no idea how glad I am that I'll be sharing a room with _you_ rather than that idiot Popsicle over there." He said, thumb-pointing behind him at Gray.

"What'd you say, fire-breath?"

Overall, Natsu seemed completely oblivious to what his and Lucy's situation meant. Or at least, that's what everyone _thought_. And poor Lucy would never know how he really felt until they were already inside the hotel room.

_Yup, just as I expected. That lucky bitch gets whatever she wants, doesn't she?_... Lisanna thought as she watched Natsu and Lucy from behind Mira._ Of course she was secretly dying to share a room with my Natsu-kun._

Gray glanced back at Natsu, who'd just deliberately ignored him. _It's only because he just realized he'll be spending the night with Lucy... MY Lucy..._ He thought to himself solemnly._ Life isn't fair._

* * *

Lucy breathed out, feeling completely refreshed. "Ah, that bath was so relaxing. The shower has like a built-in jacuzzi." She says as she walks out of the bathroom, wearing her PJs. The comfy ones that consisted of a silk, skin-tight hot pink spaghetti-strap tank top and short white boxer shorts with hot pink, blue, and yellow polka dots on them. On her feet were super fuzzy, soft, hot pink slippers.

She began to walk over to her bed, but noticed that it was still full of her and Natsu's luggage. "Ugh, Natsu! I told you to move your luggage over to _your_ side of the room." She complained, eyeing the heavy-looking travel bag.

He simply groaned in response, lying face-down sideways over his bed.

Lucy grinned a bit. "Yeah, I'm tired too. We walked around _so_ much today." She commented as she went and casually plopped down on his bed.

She then glanced around the beautiful hotel room, but didn't bother making another comment. She knew already that it just annoyed Natsu when she talked about how 'beautiful' everything here was.

That's when she suddenly remembered something important. "Hey, Natsu?"

"Hn?" He mumbled against the bed sheets.

"Do you think... that maybe we... wasted all of today? That we really should've continued our search for my celestial spirit keys rather than just touring this place all day...? Because now I'm starting to feel a bit guilty for relaxing here when I could be looking for-" She stopped rambling when she saw Natsu suddenly look up, a bewildered look on his face.

"-What are you talking about? You poor thing. It's not like your spirits care one way or another, they _know_ you'll save them, someday, no matter what. You just have to trust them, because they already trust you. And today was something you needed, you've been worrying like crazy ever since you got attacked. You just needed some time to relax, that's all." He explained, now smiling at her with a self-assured look in his eye.

Lucy gaped in shock for a moment, processing all that he'd just said. But, he was _right_. And now she knew that there was nothing to worry about... her spirits trusted her completely, and loved her no matter what.

She now grinned back at him, and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Natsu." She said as she sat at the head of the pillows, still hugging her legs to her chest tightly.

He responded with another grin. Then, comfortable silence fell upon them. Natsu returned to laying face-down, his body still sideways on the bed.

After a few moments, Lucy began to think about Natsu. And thinking about him somehow led to the conversation she'd had with Lisanna the previous night, the one about Natsu and... the times they'd kissed.

There was that time outside the guild by the river, but it was just a quick peck and at the time, Lucy thought nothing of it. She'd just been glad that they'd cleared things up. Then there was that second time he'd full-on kissed her, when they'd just left Fairy Tail and were barely starting this mission.

He had never actually confessed to her, yet they had still kissed already numerous times. _Not_ to mention that drunken make-out session during her surprise party.

Lucy then blindly decides to seriously ask him about it, without really thinking about how awkward it would be or the consequences. She just deserved an explanation, and all the other times she'd tried to get one out of him... he'd somehow manage to get away from her.

_It's time now_... She thinks to herself as she glances back down at Natsu. "Hey... Natsu?" She begins, her voice sounding a bit possessive.

"Huh?" He responds, his voice sounding muffled against the sheets again.

"Look at me." She commands.

He groans, but finally sits up. "Yeah?"

Lucy speaks before she can even think to hesitate. "Those couple of times you've kissed me... Why did you do it?"

Silence.

Lucy began to glare at Natsu, waiting for an answer. But he just looked distant, unfocused.

"Hello? Natsu, you in there?" She asks as she moves closer to him and knocks on his head. But even so, he continues to look a bit... off.

Then Lucy notices a sudden hunger in his eye... almost like a flame. A beastly, possessive, burning-like look in his eye.

He then looks straight at Lucy's torso, and points to her tank top. "Your shirt. It's really tight." He observes blankly, staring down at her PJ top.

She gives him a confused look. "Yeah... so?"

Natsu doesn't respond. And without warning, he then scoots a bit closer to her; making the bed they're sitting on creak loudly.

This makes Lucy feel a bit uncomfortable. She moves so that she's sitting on the edge of the bed, her fuzzy slippers now planted on the carpet. Her back is facing Natsu as she hears him quietly chuckle. "W-What's so funny?" She asks cautiously, and begins to feel a bit self-conscious. For some reason, she felt her face warm up with a soft blush.

"It's just kinda cute how you're acting all scared of me now." He responds, making her cheeks heat up even more.

_Wait a second... I shouldn't be blushing because of NATSU!._.. She thought to herself. She, as the beautiful Lucy Heartfilia, should be making_ his_ face burn.

So she turned to face him, and rolled her eyes. It was then that she realized _Natsu_, of all people, had just used the word 'cute'. And just the thought of it made her laugh.

"Okay... now why are _you_ laughing?" He asked curiously.

Lucy giggled a bit more. "You just said 'cute'. And while referring to a _girl_. You must have the word misunderstood, or you said it in the wrong way."

Natsu looked confused for a moment, then sighed. "Lucy... I'm not as dense as you probably think I am." He told her, his voice sounding more serious.

She laughed again. "Yeah, right. You probably don't even know what boobs are."

"I know yours are awesome." He says as his eyes wander down to her bulging chest.

At that moment, Lucy gasped. "Uh, okay, then... I admit you may have been right. Maybe you're _not_ so dense." She says, now feeling a bit violated but shrugging it off since it's just Natsu.

"Want me to _prove_ to you I'm not?" He purrs seductively.

These words barely register in Lucy's mind. "Heh?"

But what he does next still makes Lucy shiver and heart throb uncontrollably_ to this day._

He slowly creeps up to the side of the bed where she's sitting, and slyly moves in front of her. He begins leaning in to her, gently pressing his forehead to hers.

She instinctively moves back to put some space between them, but he continues to lean in and her back ends up lying down on to the bed.

And when she tried to get up, he completely pinned her down to the bed; making her gasp in shock. "H-Hey..." She began, but no words could come out.

His body pressed down on hers, and she tried another feudal attempt at escaping before he quickly pinned her wrists down to the bed too.

He now lay over her, caging her in. She lay sprawled out on the bed; her thin tank top had accidentally rose up, revealing her stomach as he lay on top of her.

She's shocked beyond words, and looks up into his eyes; questioning him.

He gently grabs her chin with his thumb and pointer finger, and moves her face even closer to his. "Believe me... I know a lot more than you think I do." He whispered, his words making her shiver.

And before she can respond, he slowly began to kiss that space in the crook of her neck.

Lucy felt paralyzed. She couldn't move any part of her body. It was completely silent in the room except for the passionate sound of Natsu's lips moving over her skin.

"N-Natsu...?" She quietly sputtered. It took most of her strength just to speak.

He softly licked the space he'd kissed, and began to gently suck on her skin.

She shivered at the contact, though not quite sure if it was out of pleasure or disgust. She was still so scared and shocked to the point where she couldn't even move a muscle.

But in some sort of sick, twisted way... deep down, she secretly thought that what he was doing to her actually felt good. Yet still, there was no way she'd ever admit that.

Natsu looked down at the bluish-purple hickey that was now on Lucy's neck, and smirked. "That's to show you're mine." He whispered quietly into her ear.

Paying no attention to his words, Lucy instinctively reached up to touch the love bite he'd left on her. She was still utterly speechless.

And ever so slowly, Natsu hovered his face over Lucy's. Both of them looked into each other's eyes and felt the same lustful, passionate need that was burning within them.

Teenage hormones. They were a bitch.

And they were also given in to as Natsu gently touched his lips to Lucy's. He slowly began to tug on her loose boxer shorts, hoping she wouldn't notice.

She didn't. Instead she focused on his kiss, which was probably the softest, most gentle, sweetest and _shortest_ kiss ever performed in the whole world.

Lucy wasn't sure if it even counted as a kiss... or if it even _was_ a kiss, since it was more like he'd placed his warm lips slightly onto hers before pulling away.

She wondered if he did it that way on purpose, because even though she was stunned beyond infinite, she found herself kind of... wanting more.

But he didn't continue. After the kiss, he pulled away completely. Somehow, he seemed more himself as he stood over her, while she was still back-down on the bed. "I-I'm gonna go shower." He mumbled, then left to the bathroom.

Lucy sat up, and watched him leave.

She nearly went crazy. She shouldn't have enjoyed that kiss... his touch... what he did to her... she _should_ have pushed him away. But, she didn't. So did that mean... she'd wanted him to keep going? And if she did, was it because she actually _liked_ him?

As Natsu stepped into the bathroom, he looked at himself in the mirror. After seeing his reflection, he looked back down in shame. He simply couldn't believe what he'd just done to Lucy. _He hadn't been able to control himself this time._

He begins stripping off his shirt and pants, and turns on the boiling hot water. But still, the thoughts continued to linger in his mind.

He knew it would have been wrong.

And he couldn't handle doing that to her.

So he'd stopped for just one reason.

One reason _only_.

He'd stopped solely because he knew that if he'd kept going... he definitely would have raped her.

_But, still..._ he began thinking as he stepped into the burning-hot shower. _She only belongs to me._

* * *

**__**"Are you _sure_?" Erza asked again, still quite suspicious.

Loke straightened his tie, and stood firm. "Of course. I would never lead my master or any of her comrades in the wrong direction." He told her calmly, but hiding the hurt feelings that came from her distrust.

Lisanna groaned. "Ugh, it feels like we're back to square one. Wandering around aimlessly in the middle of the forest." She complained, already wiped out from the walk and leaning on Gray for support.

"I told you... whatever your name is, I _know_ where I'm going." Loke said to Lisanna, narrowing his eyes at her in annoyance.

She'd noticed the slight rudeness in his voice, and immediately felt her anger blaze up. "Okay, kitty spirit. FIRST of all, my name is _Lisanna_. And second, you haven't even-"

Mira quickly covered her sister's mouth with her palm. She turned to Loke and smiled sweetly, saying: "Sorry about that, Loke. My sister just happened to have developed a little something called a bipolar disorder while she was in Edolas. Please excuse her."

Loke grinned a bit. "That's okay, Mirajane." He then turned to Lisanna, who gave him a dirty look. "And by the way, I'm a _lion_ spirit, not kitty cat." He grumbled, hands in pockets.

"Uh, anyway..." Gray began awkwardly, turning to face Loke. "Isn't there a train we could use? You know, to get us where we need to go, and then you can lead us up to that castle place after?"

Before Loke could respond, Natsu jumped up. "NO TRAINS!" He yelled, flailing his arms all over the place.

Everyone in the group either sighed or facepalmed.

"There isn't a train around here anyway. Our best bet is to just keep walking." Loke explained, and began leading the group again.

Soon, they all gave in. Even though they were all tired of walking, they began following Loke again up the forest path.

As Lucy started hiking again, she contemplated on summoning Horologium to carry her. That was pretty much his only use to her, since inside the huge walking clock was such a warm, comforting place to rest while she was at least getting somewhere at the same time.

But right as she was about to pull out his key, she felt an unusual emptiness inside the little bag at her waist. _Oh right, I forgot_... Lucy thought solemnly. _I still don't have my gate keys._

She sighed, and drooped her shoulders a bit. She couldn't ever remember taking a hike _this_ long. _But at least it's to get my spirits back_... she thought as she took in a deep breath.

Then out of nowhere, she felt an arm around her shoulders. "How's it going... Master?" Loke asked with a flirtatious grin on his handsome face.

Lucy closed her eyes in slight annoyance. "I've _told_ you before to just call me Lucy. You don't have to say 'Master'." She explained, too tired to shrug off his heavy arm.

"Ah, I see... you must really care about me." He purred, pulling her a bit closer.

She let out a laugh. "Tch, as if. I tell all my spirits they can address me formally."

He grinned, and slowly nuzzled his face into her hair. "Yeah, but I'm special. I _must_ be, since you really saved my life and all."

She blushed a tiny bit, recalling the night she'd risked her own life just to save his. She then pushed him away, but he didn't budge. "Oh whatever. Go hang out with Aries or something." She mumbled, crossing her arms.

He looked a bit surprised for a moment, but didn't get a chance to respond. And all of a sudden... he was gone.

Lucy immediately glanced around, but didn't see him. He had completely disappeared. _Did he seriously just poof back to the Spirit World? I was just kidding when I told him to go away! How could he possibly leave when_- Her thoughts were interrupted as she spotted Loke.

When she saw where he was, she almost busted up laughing. The sight was just too hilarious.

Natsu had him in a head-lock, while Loke was yelling out that he was going to mess up his hair. "Oh, yeah? Then take this, pretty boy!" Natsu cried, and began to give Loke a harsh noogie that left his caramel-colored locks in a fluffy, tangled, knotted mess.

"Hey, man! What the hell are you doing?! You better stop that shit or else I'll- hey, _stop_! DON'T TOUCH THE SUIT!" Loke continued to yell as Natsu finished off his hair and began tugging on his designer suit and tie.

Lucy couldn't help it. Even though she was angry that Natsu would attack her spirit for no reason, she just _had_ to laugh.

And she continued to watch as Natsu beat up _Leo the Lion_, the leader of the 12 Golden Keys of the Zodiac. Wasn't he supposed to be the strongest out of all of them? _Wow, Natsu's so much stronger than me. He can practically wipe the floor with my strongest spirit without even using his magic?_

"No, please! _Not the face!_ I need it to attract girls, Natsu!" Loke yelled out as Natsu held him up to throw a punch directed straight at his nose.

"E-_nough_!" Erza suddenly yelled, catching everyone's attention.

Natsu glanced at Loke, who smiled apologetically. Natsu just rolled his eyes and lowered him a bit closer, just to whisper a little something in his ear. "Stay away from my Lucy." He warned, his voice dead-serious.

Loke threw him a bewildered look. "But, it's impossible. I _can't_." He explained, a wicked grin now on his pretty face. "She _is_ my master, after all, Natsu."

Before he can respond, he catches sight of Erza's expression. She looked like she was focusing on something; listening.

Soon, everyone begins to listen intently. They all stop walking and strain their ears to catch the mumbled words in the distance.

But suddenly, they hear a nearby bush rattle behind a few trees. And all eight of the powerful wizards get into battle mode... ready to beat up _anyone_ who revealed them self.

"I'm tellin' ya, you're not doing it right. If you really want her to like you, then you have to be less obvious about it." A smooth, soft voice explains.

"B-But why? She already knows. Why not remind her from time to time?" Someone responds back, but with more of a high-pitched, yet somewhat masculine voice.

This made everyone let their guard down a bit. What they were listening to seemed like a rather average conversation... unlike the one they'd thought it'd be, one that was plotting to freaking destroy the world or something.

The two people continue walking, unknowingly in their direction. They continue to rattle bushes as they walk past them, kicking up rocks as they casually stepped through the forest.

"_Because_, young blood, you have to make her like you first before you tell her how you feel. But, of course, you already messed _that_ up..." The care-free, smooth and quiet voice told the other person.

After hearing that part of the conversation, the Fairy Tail mages completely let their guard down. The voices were getting closer, but they obviously seemed like no threat.

"Aww, come on! You can't be serious, dude..." The more squeaky, high-pitched voice complained as the owner of the sound pushed past some long leaves to unexpectedly come face-to-face with the curious-looking Fairy Tail wizards. "Oh... hiya people." Darrion awkwardly greeted as he noticed the rather large group of older kids standing before him.

They all stared at him in disbelief for a moment, unsure of what to do. Something about him seemed... familiar. The blood-red hair, liquid golden eyes, tan skin... did it belong to that of certain Sun Magic mage they'd been hearing about?

But over half of the group lost their concentration as his friend walked out of the shadows behind him, revealing a silver-haired, silver-eyed, pale-skinned boy.

Mira, Lisanna, Wendy, and even Lucy all lost their cool. They all began shrieking as soon as they saw Kota, startling the other boys a bit.

But Kota wasn't surprised. He was used to this kind of thing whenever he walked past girls.

"Oh... my... God... he is _so_ cute!" Lisanna screeched, or more like fan-girled.

"A little young, but absolutely a-_dor-_able!" Mira gushed.

"I can't believe this! I've never seen a more beautiful person!" Wendy couldn't help but yell out.

"That is probably... the _cutest_ guy I've ever seen." Lucy admitted with a slight blush.

They all huddled together and giggled, blushing uncontrollably since they knew he'd definitely heard them and didn't have the willpower to face him. "He's sooo cute!" They all shriek-whispered together, but loud enough for pretty much everyone to hear.

Natsu, Gray, and Loke all stared at them; utterly speechless and dumbfounded.

"A definite pretty boy." Erza agreed as she stood outside their little circle, her arms crossed while glancing at Kota.

"Not you too, Erza!" Natsu and Gray whined.

Jellal chuckled, wondering why he was even in this fanfiction.

Loke pushed up his glasses, unable to believe that this silver-haired creep was making the girls go so crazy. "He's probably using a charm spell, y'know..." He told the group in a hushed tone.

Kota glanced at Darrion as the other wizards continued performing this pointless charade; the two of them now just watching the scene for amusement.

"Hey, Kota..." Darrion whispered.

"Yeah?" Kota responded back quietly.

"Is that _them_?" He asks, chin-pointing to the mages in front of them.

Kota watched them for another moment, then shook his head. "No way. Those can't be the Fairy Tail wizards we were assigned to look for. I mean, come on, they look like a bunch of idiots. The ones we were told to find-"

His words were instantly cut off as he felt himself be lifted up into the air.

He glanced back at Darrion, and noticed that he too had been lifted up by the back of his shirt.

They both nod at each other, realizing the situation. They knew what could and couldn't be done, and exactly who it was that had snatched them up. Obviously, it was the 'legendary' Titania, the 'Queen of the Fairies'... and the two Demons knew precisely what they had to do, by orders of the King.

For right now, they have to attempt the innocent act at _least_ up until they find Skylar. He being the leader of the three, it is essential and ordered by the Demon King himself that he be with them as they take down you-know-who...

"Who are you two?" Erza questions them, still clutching the back of their shirts as she held them in the air.

"W-We're... Damien and Kody. Why d-do you ask, miss?" Darrion asks, faking the fear in his voice.

Erza glanced at them suspiciously, then eyed Kota. "Why are you two here?"

Kota grinned at her. "Can't two guys just walk around the forest _without_ being held up and questioned like this?"

Her eyes widened a bit.

But before she could respond, Loke walked up to the three of them. "Don't put them down yet, Erza." He commanded, and eyed the two Demons.

He watched Darrion closely, and studied his features. "Are you by any chance a Sun Magic mage?" He asked suspiciously.

Darrion gulped, but let out a phony yet realistic-sounding laugh. "_Ha_. Yeah, sure, little ol' me a Sun Magic mage. I think I might just take that as a complement, since no one's ever asked me if I was really that powerful of a wizard before." He chuckled, his whole response making Kota sweatdrop.

Loke narrowed his eyes. "Are you _sure_?" He pressed, still not convinced.

Kota bit his lip as he watched their interaction, hoping Darrion wouldn't blow their cover. He then snapped his mouth shut, hoping the celestial spirit wouldn't notice his canine-like teeth that all Dragon Slayers possessed.

Darrion grinned. "Positive. I _wish_ I was a Sun Magic mage!"

Loke continued to stare at the young boy uncomfortably. He knew that if he was right, this little guy could kill them all without a moment's notice. He was pretty sure the kid was just either playing with them or lying for now.

"U-Um, Mr. Lion Spirit, can you just leave him alone? He looks like he's telling the truth." Wendy mumbled to Loke, her face a bit pink as she stared at the ground.

"Yeah, the poor kid." Mira agreed.

_"What?"_ Loke questioned, glancing at Mira then back at the now-smirking, most-likely-to-be-EVIL kid hanging in front of him.

"Yes, they're right, Loke. This young thing probably doesn't even have enough space in his frail little body to even _contain_ the amount of magic power it takes to be a Sun Magic mage." Erza pointed out, not noticing that Darrion had began to shake with anger upon hearing her statement.

Kota eyed Darrion, and lightly punched his shoulder. This reminded him of their current situation, and he attempted to calm himself out of his fury.

He just really _hated_ when people called him small and weak...

Loke sighed in defeat, then glanced in Kota's direction.

Kota just grinned at him, showing no fear.

This time, Loke didn't even bother to question him. Maybe these guys actually _weren't_ the powerful Demons called Kota and Darrion after all...

That's when Erza finally let Kota and Darrion down, shaking her wrists a bit since holding them up for that long had started to irritate her hands.

The two of them began to walk away, when Kota glanced back at Lucy.

"Eeep!" She whisper-screeched as she covered her blushing face with her hands. "He looked at me..."

Mira, Lisanna, and Wendy looked back at Kota and sighed lovingly. "He's so cute..." They all chimed simultaneously again.

And Loke suddenly remembered how well-known the famous Wind Dragon Slayer named Kota Silvers was around the ladies. Not only that, but didn't the guy have silver hair too? _Can it really be him? They're both too suspicious to let go_... He thought to himself. He then turned to Erza, and said: "Listen to me, Erza..." He began whispering quietly. "Those guys are way too suspicious for me to just let them leave like that. We _can't_ let them leave..." He began, but Erza could see the worry in his face that told her he was genuinely worried about their safety.

She glanced back at the two boys... and in a flash, she was standing behind them again. They hadn't noticed her again as she began to drag them back to the group.

"H-Hey! What's going on, lady?!" They whined as she threw them back into the circle of Fairy Tail wizards.

"Are they..." Natsu began slowly, his mind practically melted from confusion.

"We're not sure. But they're too suspicious apparently, and I believe Loke." Erza told him, arms crossed.

Loke smiled, then looked back down at the two boys. "You'll just have to travel with us for a while until we get to the place we're looking for." He told them, a wicked grin replacing the soft smile he'd had on his face just a few seconds ago.

"Where are you heading to?" Kota asked, almost immediately.

Loke pushed up his glasses again. "Your castle."

Kota and Darrion tried to suppress the shock in their face expressions. They'd had no idea the Fairy Tail idiots were planning on entering their castle. That... was pretty much asking to die.

If they were even _capable_ of getting into the place, the Demon King would simply crush them to death with just a stomp of his foot...

_... literally._

But even so, Kota and Darrion were able to keep their poker faces on. "Our what?" This whole time, they'd thought the Fairy Tail wizards were simply looking for _them_, and Skylar. _They'd probably thought we'd have that girl's keys..._ Kota thought to himself before chuckling slightly. _How idiotic. They didn't even know what we look like, and here they still don't even know it's really us._

Loke facepalmed. He was tired of this game. He knew that eventually, these two would either drop the innocent act or accidentally reveal their true identity. _And maybe then everyone will realize I was actually right since the beginning..._ Loke thought in annoyance.

* * *

After that, everyone decided to take a real break. The girls were all exhausted, and would've just complained the whole way if they'd have kept walking.

"Ah, I needed this." Lucy said as she splashed cool water on her face. The river beside her was as crystal-clear as could be.

"An' theesh are amazshing." Natsu said as he chewed on another red apple. The poor tree he'd been sitting in directly above Lucy was now practically bare of its tasty fruit.

Not too far of a distance away from Natsu and Lucy, Jellal and Erza sat together under a different tree. "So these kids... we're really going to drag them around with us until we get to the castle?" Jellal asked, just to make sure.

Erza shrugged. "I believe so. Loke told me they might just be the ones we're looking for, though. And since he seems so sure it's them, I think we should hold on to these two until it's clear." She explained as she eyed Kota and Darrion, making sure they didn't try to escape their group.

Kota was surrounded by Mira, Lisanna, and Wendy. That player must have been enjoying the attention. Darrion was off to the side with Gray, talking about Galuna Island. Apparently, they'd both been there.

Soon though, Loke gathered them all up together again. "Alright, everyone. I can't stay in this world much longer. My magic energy's running out, but I'll be back again soon. I don't quite know how long, but it _should_ be before dusk." He explained to them.

Jellal eyed him, then stepped forward a bit. "But you and I are the only ones who know where this castle is. And even so, I don't believe I can take everyone there without your help. Should we just wait for you?"

Loke crossed his arms, and looked down. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea." He admitted.

"Sounds good to me!" Lisanna exclaimed from the back as she leaned against Gray. "Why don't we just stop walking for today? Even though we took this break, my feet are still killing me." She complained, running her fingers through her short white hair.

They all sighed. "Fine, then. Just wait until I get back, guys. I shoudn't be too long." Loke told them, as his body began to disappear.

"Hey, wait... then what are we supposed to do while you're not here?" Natsu questioned.

Loke simply chuckled. "Just continue resting. Chill out here or something. Anyway, bye guys." He said before completely closing the celestial gate and leaving their world.

"So it's just us and the Fairy Tail idiots, huh?" Kota whispered to Darrion at the back of the group.

Darrion nodded slowly. "But Kota, why don't we just run off? If we go now, I bet they won't even notice until later." He suggested quietly.

Kota shook his head, and crossed his arms. "We can't. That Erza girl has been keeping a close eye on us."

Darrion glanced at said girl, then looked down. "She's kind of scary. And anyway, I'm getting sorta worried about Skylar. Do you have any idea where he is?"

"Well... nope. But, he's a big boy. He can take care of himself." Kota whispered back with a sigh.

"Yeah... and besides, he probably must know by now what's happened to us. He _must_ have figured it out..." Darrion thought out loud, while Kota just nodded in approval.

They stood there in thoughtful silence for a moment until they heard a girly scream that made both of them jump.

"_Kota-kun!_" Mira and Lisanna screeched as they ran back towards him; Wendy by their side.

"Oh, hello there." He responded, but they ended up tackling him by accident.

They rolled over the forest floor a bit before getting back up in a laughing heap. Kota then eyed Wendy, and realized that she hasn't formally met Darrion yet. He glances to his friend, and sees the tiniest hint of a blush on his cheeks as he looks at the young girl who appears to be around the same age as him.

Kota grinned. Of course, not only was he a womanizer, but he was a matchmaker too. "Wendy, this here is my buddy Darrion..." He began, that silly grin still on his handsome face as he gestured to Darrion; his other hand atop Wendy's head.

Wendy smiled sweetly. "Hi." She greeted, and noticed they were the same height.

"...and I think you two should get married." Kota finished, making both the Sun Magic mage and Sky Dragon Slayer blush like crazy.

Mira and Lisanna giggled.

"Yeah, they'd be the cutest pair I've ever seen. Even cuter than you and Romeo as a couple, Wendy." Mira said as she winked at Wendy.

The little girl blushed even harder. "I-I-I..." She of course, was speechless.

"No way. I totally think you and _Romeo_ should get married, Wendy. No offense to you, though, red-head." Lisanna said as she turned from Wendy to Darrion. "I am _such_ a sucker for childhood relationships..." She said, and soon trailed off; a sad glint in her eye that no one noticed.

Mira smiled, and looked at Kota. "And you can marry me!" She exclaimed.

He looked down at Darrion, and noticed he was probably still overheating from embarrassment. Deciding to tease the poor guy a bit more, Kota looked back down at Wendy. "Nah, I think I'll just take Wendy if Darrion doesn't want her." He said, a smirk on his face. Darrion simply threw him a death glare.

They all began laughing, the girls still completely oblivious to the fact that _the names of the people they were searching for_ were 'Kota' and 'Darrion'.

As Kota finally stops laughing, the girls still continue to crack up. It's then that he notices the little girl called Wendy has canine-like teeth in the back of her jaw...

_No, she couldn't be_... Kota thought as he eyed Wendy more closely._ There's no way she could be a Dragon Slayer._

But as he convinced himself that Wendy wasn't what she truly was, he heard an all-too-familiar spell be casted.

"Fire... Dragon's... _ROAR_!"

Kota turned his head in horror to see the pink-haired Fairy Tail idiot light a campfire with his Fire Dragon Slayer magic.

"Um... a bit much, Natsu. Instead of lighting the fire, you just burned all the fire wood up." The targeted girl called Lucy complained as she sighed and hit him on the head.

_What was his name? Natty? Nassu?_... Kota thought as he watched his target argue over the fire wood with said guy.

"Hey, Wendy? My legs still hurt from all that walking. Could you maybe heal me please?" Lisanna asked Wendy with a hopeful grin.

"Of course, I'd be happy to." She responded back, and began using her Sky Dragon Slayer magic...

Kota covered his face with his hands. Something like a double-epic facepalm.

He had a feeling things were gonna get complicated.

...But even so, he knew he just had to make sure of his suspicions. "Er, Wendy... can I ask you something?" He mumbled, pulling his hands away from his face.

Wendy smiled up at him as she finished healing Lisanna. "Sure, Kota-kun. What's the question?"

He glanced back at the Fire Dragon Slayer whose name had slipped his mind, then came right out and asked. "Are you really a Sky Dragon Slayer?"

She grinned softly, and blushed the tiniest bit. "Why yes, I am."

Kota didn't know what to think. There had been no other Dragon Slayers in existence back home in Edolas...

"Hey, Natsu-san! Can you come here for a moment?" Wendy called out, as Kota stopped thinking his own thoughts.

"Uh, you don't have to call him..." He began, thinking it was best not to share with them. _I'm not even supposed to let them know who I really am. But... I have to know. I have to ask them._.. he thought as he watched the boy called Natsu begin walking up to him and Wendy.

Kota glanced around for Darrion, and noticed that he wasn't even by his side anymore. He was off with Mira and Lisanna, walking up to that dark-haired guy who was always stripping.

_No! How could that idiot leave me again? He might blow our cover_... Kota thought as Natsu joined he and Wendy. _Or maybe I'll be the one to ruin everything_... he thought as he noticed Natsu's canine-like teeth.

"What's up, Wendy?" He asked once he got there.

Kota noticed he'd dragged the girl Lucy with him. _Hmm... Lucy Heartfilia? We really need to capture this girl already... Skylar's gonna kill us for getting side-tracked like this._

"Kota here is a Dragon Slayer like us, Natsu. And I don't think he's ever met anyone that was one too." Wendy explained to Natsu, as Kota's jaw dropped slightly.

"Hey!... I mean, er, Wendy... I didn't tell you I was a Dragon Slayer..." Kota mumbled, feeling pretty stupid. How could she have figured it out? And if she did that quickly... how long would it be until they realized he was _the_ exact Dragon Slayer they were looking for?

The moment they realize who he truly is, he's dead. Not from them though, he'd defeat them all in an instant. The thing he was actually worried about was going home to the Demon King and having to tell him he'd failed the mission. It'd be _his_ fault, not Darrion's or Skylar's. But that evil King wouldn't care... he'd still execute all three of them for not following his orders.

_Damn that stupid King and his stupid rules... Why'd he have to make this so complicated? Why did all three of us sent to capture Lucy Heartfilia have to get the job done equally?..._ Kota thought to himself angrily. _Oh, right... because of that thing with Darrion..._

_**Author's Note: He's talking about the 'thing' from Chapter 5. It was the chapter that was all about the Demons that I said you can skip if you want, but I forgot about that one crucial part of the story... Sorry :(**_

Wendy looked up at Kota and grinned sweetly. "You didn't have to tell me, Kota. I saw your fangs." She pointed out, and Kota mentally-facepalmed himself. He'd forgotten to hide those...

Natsu broke into a smile, and grabbed Kota's shoulders. "No way! You're a Dragon Slayer too? Back at Fairy Tail there's two others, Gajeel and Laxus. They're Iron and Lightning." He explained cheerfully.

Kota didn't say anything for a moment. There was no hiding it now, these idiots had already figured it out. So what could he do now? Was that spirit Leo the only one who knew everything about him and the other Demons?

If that was the case, then did that mean... it was safe to ask these other Dragon Slayers what he'd been wondering most of his life?

But then again, revealing he was _Wind_ Dragon Slayer would pretty much reveal his true identity of Kota Silvers, one of Artemis the Demon princess's evil minions. And then they would know, and he would have to kill them, and he'd have to die himself for their simply finding out of his actual name.

Wait a second, though... Didn't they already know his name was Kota?

_What the hell. Maybe these people are even stupider than I thought_... Kota mentally laughed, now understanding how little they really knew about him and the other Demons. How could they actually be looking for them if they knew nothing about them? Were they seriously just gonna waltz into their castle and demand for Lucy Heartfilia's keys back? Kota mentally facepalmed again just at the thought of all this.

_But still..._ He began thinking again,_ If they somehow do figure it out, it could really be the end of not just me, but Skylar and Darrion too..._

Even though he didn't want to put his friends' lives in danger, it was still killing him to know the answers of certain questions he could only get from another Dragon Slayer. And here there were two, practically taunting him with the knowledge he knew they possessed.

_Hmm... well since they already know I'm a Dragon Slayer, asking some questions wouldn't hurt. But if they were to ask what element... that could be bad. I can't let them know I'm Wind or else our cover will be blown... or, will it?_ At this moment, Kota was dying to know the truth about his foster father. Where could he be now? Is he still alive? And why did he leave him?... Those were just some of the questions that had haunted him since he found himself transported to Edolas from his homeworld of Fiore, and his dragon nowhere to be found.

_Well... curiosity killed the cat. Literally_... He thought with an evil smirk on his face. He'd decided to just go ahead and find out the truth about his past, since that Lion celestial spirit was probably the only one in the group who knew anything about him and the others.

That certain spirit who wasn't there at the moment. The one that could be back at any second...

_When Leo the Lion comes back... I'll make sure he keeps his mouth shut if he finds out from Wendy or Natsu what I am. Just kill the cat, it'd be that easy..._ Kota grinned at that old saying. _Huh. Maybe somewhere, curiosity really did kill the cat. Or in this case, Lion celestial spirit._


	9. Capture the Maiden of the Stars

_**Author's Note: Heyyyy(: How's it going?**_

_**Celine Fullbuster's getting close to finishing this story. *SQUEE! XD***_

_**Sorry... I don't know why I just said that in first-person. O.o *gasps* Oh no, I'm not Juvia... urghh I don't like that water lady...**_

_**Hehe anyway, here's chapter 9! Please review when you're done! Your opinion whether good or bad is STILL highly valued, y'know... -.- xD (:**_

_**So the FINAL chapter of the story is NEXT! :DDD Prepare yourselves cuz some crazy stuffs is 'bouta go down... ;D**_

_**... Now my darlings, go read.**_

* * *

Kota Silvers glanced at the two other Dragon Slayers standing in front of him. For a brief moment he wondered exactly how much they knew, and if they were really willing to share their knowledge with _him_, a complete stranger.

Didn't their friend, that annoying Leo spirit, warn them that he could be one of the guys they're looking for? Kota almost began to feel as though he was in a trap... but then again, these people just seemed too stupid to actually be able to trick him.

And even though these two knew he was a possible suspect, they still wanted him to know what had really happened all those years ago with his dragon. Maybe they were just... nice.

Kota shivered a bit. That would be weird. _But, who cares? I'll just take advantage of what they know, find out what I've been wondering my whole life, then sneak out of here with Darrion, find Skylar, and then finally... capture that blondie we've been meaning to retrieve for what feels like forever and FINALLY get back to the castle. Finally get back to Artemis... _he thought to himself, feeling a bit giddy that he'd get to see his beautiful master Artemis Luna again.

"Kota-kun? Are you okay?" Wendy asked, disrupting Kota's thoughts.

Kota blinked a few times, and eyed Wendy and Natsu. He then felt a jolt of impatience hit him like a strong wind... It was time now. All he had to do was ask a few questions, and he'd have half the things he wanted to do in life completed. One was to know what had happened to his foster father, and the other was to be in a more-than-friends relationship with miss Artemis Selene Luna before _Skylar_ was.

He looked down at Wendy, and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine." He assured her, his smile making her blush cutely.

The girl called Lucy then side-peeked at him, and he soon had an urge to just take her and run.

But of course, he knew that would be against the rules.

"So, um... What kind of Dragon Slayer are you?" Lucy asked him, completely unaware that she'd just asked him the number one question he was most hoping to avoid.

Kota looked away from them as soon as he heard that, and cringed slightly. _Oh, great. That's just perfect. If that celestial spirit finds out I told them 'Wind', then this could get ugly_... he thought irritably, a bit annoyed that the spirit knew so much about him. _But at least he's the only one here who knows. Otherwise, I would've already failed this mission._

He decided he might as well tell them. They probably didn't even know what kind of Dragon Slayer they were looking for, and if they already knew that he was one... then there was pretty much nothing to worry about. _I just need to make sure that Lion spirit doesn't hear from anyone that I'm a Wind Dragon Slayer. It's that simple. And if he does find out, then I'll make him retreat back to the Spirit World before he can even tell anyone I'm the guy they're looking for._

"I-... I'm Wind." He confessed quietly. He was almost one hundred-percent sure they didn't know what kind of Dragon Slayer they were looking for, but even so... he always had his doubts.

Natsu grinned. "That's awesome. I think one of the guys we're looking for is a Wind Dragon Slayer too, so maybe you and I should fight sometime. Y'know, just for a test of strength." He said, getting more excitement in his voice. "I'd also like to see what that kind of magic is like so I'm more prepared for when we find that other guy." He said, still grinning as he lit his fist on fire.

Kota's jaw almost dropped. So... they _did_ know?! _Wow... if I thought these people were idiots before, then I don't even know what level of stupidity they're on now... _He thought to himself, completely awestruck. Revealing that he was a Wind Dragon Slayer was pretty much telling them 'Hey, I'm the guy you've been looking for this whole time, so all you had to do was put the two pieces together and realize that not only am I a _Wind_ Dragon Slayer, but I'm the exact, one and _only_ Wind Dragon Slayer there is named Kota Silvers whom you've been searching for this entire time.'

Yet still, they did nothing. If that celestial spirit was here, he definitely would've yelled out that he was actually right and that Kota was one of Artemis's evil minions who'd attacked Lucy Heartfilia and stolen her gate keys.

But he _wasn't_ there, so it stayed silent.

Kota then decided it was best to just play along. Pretend that there was some other Wind Dragon Slayer out there who was the one that had actually done those terrible things to Lucy, one that wasn't him. Whatever they assumed, it was true at least until he found Skylar.

"Uh, yeah. We could fight anytime." Kota told Natsu, sounding more calm rather than excited like Natsu was.

"_Yeah_! And I can prove to Loke that I'm still strong even when fighting against an element that's thought to be my weakness. You know, I've fought an average Wind Magic guy before named Erigor, and I beat him pretty damn easy. All I had to do was..." Kota completely tuned out Natsu's rambling as he eyed Wendy, and remembered about the questions he was still dying to ask.

"You know what, kid? You're pretty cool." Natsu said as Kota tuned back in, just in time to feel Natsu lightly punch his shoulder.

"Um, kid?" Kota repeated as he looked Natsu up and down. The guy honestly looked the same age as him.

"Yep. What are you, twelve?" Natsu asked nonchalantly, his arms now crossed.

Kota sighed. This guy Natsu was either really, _really_ stupid or really, _really_ annoying. "I'm fifteen." He admitted, but almost felt as though he was lying. Demon years were _much_ longer than Human years. So if Kota did some mental math, he would figure that in Human years he's actually about...-

"Ah. Well close enough." Natsu said, then looked back at Wendy. "Hey Wendy, didn't you say that Kota's never met another Dragon Slayer before?" He asked the otherwise silent girl.

She nodded. "Yeah." She turned to face Kota, and said: "I could tell by the look on your face. I'd never met another either until a short while ago when I'd met Natsu, and you'd just seemed really surprised when I said I was a Sky Dragon Slayer."

Natsu grinned again. "So is there anything you want to know, Kota?"

The next hour was spent talking about dragons. Kota had told them about his amazing foster father Zephyr, who had disappeared in the year X777. Natsu and Wendy explained that there was still a lot of mystery regarding the dragons, since both their parents Igneel and Grandine had also disappeared that same year, same day on July 7th. They told him about Gajeel's dragon Metalicana; who'd also left at that exact time. Kota was grateful to know that he wasn't the only one who'd been abandoned, but a bit disappointed that he still didn't know where Zephyr was or if he was okay.

But what he didn't tell them was that, unlike the three of them, when he woke up that fateful day on July 7th, X777... he was no longer on his home planet.

He was in Edolas.

Somehow transported from Fiore, Earthland to the dark depths of the Demon Country, Edolas. No longer was he Human either, his skin had somehow paled into the highly recognizable white skin in which only the Demon race possessed.

He was only eight years old, in _Human_ years, when he woke up in a freezing, windy forest with Zephyr nowhere to be found. He was completely alone, in another world. Another dimension.

Until a beautiful girl with purple eyes and blue hair noticed him, crying in a little ball under an enormous redwood tree. She offered him help, a place to sleep, eat, and live forever... under a strict condition, one that wasn't created by her.

Artemis had told him the Demon King would accept him as one of the castle's slaves. In return he could live there for all eternity, just as long as he stayed by his master's side forever.

* * *

After a few more hours of talking, Natsu, Kota, and Wendy all agreed that they'd find their dragons together some day. No other three Dragon Slayers had gotten as close as these, so they vowed to one day meet up when the time was right and truly search the world for their parents.

Or at least, that was what Natsu and Wendy had thought.

Kota was still trying to keep up with this game. He didn't know how much longer he could continue the act, it was getting pretty tiring by now.

He'd realized that they must have somehow forgotten that he was only there with them because he'd been forced to by Leo the Lion and Erza Scarlet since he'd seemed too 'suspicious'. That they'd thought he was most likely one of the Demon princess's minions.

He had began to notice their obliviousness when they'd started acting even more and more at ease around him. Like he was their friend, someone who they'd known all their lives.

And it sickened him to no end. Trust was something that took time to build up, and here these people were handing it around to strangers like it was no big deal.

That's how Kota saw it, at least.

They were all sitting in the grass underneath a shady tree when Natsu noticed how uneasy Kota looked. "Hey Kota, you alright?"

Kota glanced at him, a look of disbelief making its way onto his face. He'd tried to hide it- how he truly felt- but it kept getting harder.

It now seemed like they actually _cared_ about him. Which was weird. They didn't know him, they didn't know his life. And yet they still cared.

That was just... _weird_.

Then Natsu chuckled, which was also weird... "Heh, I think I know what you might be thinking." He said, leaning on Lucy's shoulder as she sat cross-legged next to him.

"Oh, really? What is it then?" Kota challenged, without really thinking about what he was going to say next.

Natsu smirked. "You're wondering why we don't suspect you as one of those evil slave things. You think that if Loke and Erza thought you might be, then we would too. Well, let me tell you something: We don't."

Kota, for the moment, was speechless.

"Yeah, Natsu's right. We all trust each other in Fairy Tail, but we also understand that we're entitled to our own opinions. And I really don't think you're one of the guys who attacked me; you're too nice." Lucy explained sweetly.

It was then that Natsu suddenly looked furious. "Yeah... I don't think you're our guy. We're looking for three of them, and I'm pretty sure we saw one the other day. He had black hair, red eyes..." As he began detailing the person, Kota instantly got an image of a certain someone in his head.

_Skylar_.

The Fairy Tail idiots had seen him? And he was alone? So he wasn't able to attack...?

When had he even ran into them? _I guess it was just another time when me and Darrion weren't with him. We're always together and the few times we aren't, we find these idiots? How inconvenient. And besides, where IS Skylar right now? Shouldn't he have found us already?!... _Kota thought to himself irritably, trying not to pout right in front of Natsu, Wendy, and Lucy.

Soon though, his thoughts turned to the golden-haired Celestial Spirit mage that he was supposed to be kidnapping.

The one that was sitting right next to him.

She'd been talking and laughing with him for the past few hours; the sun was already beginning to set. It was clearly getting later and Kota still hadn't done what he was assigned to do with her. All because of a petty rule set by that annoying Demon King a.k.a. top Master of his.

Kota distinctively remembered the first time he'd seen Lucy; while she was out shopping some Tuesday morning.

He remembered thinking _she_ couldn't possibly be the one he, Skylar, and Darrion were assigned to steal from. She'd seemed too weak to be of any use, no matter what she possessed. Now they were back to getting a mission revolving around her, just to knock her out again and take her back to the castle for Artemis.

But it was when Kota had gotten close enough to her that first day that he'd realized the true power she had contained within her. She was indeed a valuable, capable wizard even if she didn't look like one.

She'd just looked like your average hot girl to Kota, actually. In no way did she seem like a powerful wizard... at first.

But he, Skylar, and Darrion had fought dirty. They took her by complete surprise... the poor girl had no idea what she had coming at all.

Kota recalled _he_ was the one who'd yanked on her hair to pull her into that dark alleyway. Skylar had knocked her out before she could even comprehend the situation, and Darrion was the one who'd located her gate keys and snatched them up.

Then they'd left.

As Kota remembered the scene and thought about how they could've been a bit less harsh on her, he happened to glance in her direction. And for that attack being not too long ago, she was looking _good_...

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." Kota heard Natsu grumble quietly.

He glanced back at Natsu, and realized a few seconds too late that he'd been openly staring at Lucy. "Huh?"

"Nothin' " Natsu mumbled, and then put his arm around Lucy's shoulders possessively.

Kota grinned. Now he knew what was going on. "No, what exactly did you mean?" He pressed, wicked grin still on his good-looking face.

Natsu pouted, but didn't respond.

This only made Kota more curious to know precisely how much Natsu liked Lucy. "Hmm? I didn't hear you."

Natsu threw him a back-off look, but it didn't faze Kota. "...Don't stare at what's mine." Natsu told him, his voice a bit quiet but sharp.

"W-What's _yours_?" Lucy repeated, now shrugging Natsu's arm off her shoulders.

Kota looked amused, and felt like teasing Natsu just a bit more. He scooted over to the other side of Lucy and snaked his arm around her tiny waist, then whispered in her ear; just loud enough for Natsu to overhear which Kota obviously suspected. "Yeah, you don't want to be his, do you? You want me, right?"

Before Natsu could react, Wendy moved and sat closer to Kota. "I like your scarf, Kota-kun. It looks like Natsu-san's except yours is black and silver instead of white." She observed, lightly touching the fabric.

Kota looked down at her, then back at Lucy. It was obvious that Wendy had only came in and ruined the hilarious moment that was about to go down just to keep Natsu from getting jealous.

And as Kota noticed Lucy's face... well, it was the color of Natsu's hair. At least _that_ part was funny.

Natsu, though, looked like he was about ready to strangle Kota to death. But, he wouldn't. Probably. Kota would never know.

He looked back down at Wendy, and decided to stop playing with Natsu for the day. "Thanks. Zephyr was actually the one who gave it to me."

At that moment, Natsu calmed down. If Wendy hadn't done what she did, Natsu was pretty sure Kota wouldn't be alive.

"I love your pants too. They match your scarf." Wendy said, trying to lighten the tension she knew only Natsu felt.

Kota looked down at his skinny black-and-silver pinstriped pants. "Yeah, sorta." He agreed, then tugged on his thin white short-sleeved shirt. "It's getting pretty hot out here. Are we gonna stay some place for the night?"

Before anyone can respond, they hear Erza yelling in the distance.

Lucy's the first to stand up, still feeling a bit awkward. "Hey, Kota? I think your friend's getting yelled at by Erza." She said pointing over to Darrion and Erza.

Soon, everyone gathers to see why she's yelling. Apparently Darrion was complaining that he needed to go to the bathroom, but Erza wouldn't let him leave. "No, you can't! You're still too suspicious to go anywhere without supervision." She argued, crossing her arms.

"But, I need to!" He yelled back, jumping on one foot while holding the front of his pants.

Natsu and Gray laughed a bit, while the others just watched to see what would happen.

"_No_, and that's final." Erza said sternly, but the scrunched up look on Darrion's young face still didn't change.

Kota moved over to Darrion's side while Jellal grabbed Erza's shoulder, a look of sympathy on his tattoo-clad face.

"Hey, man... everything okay?" Kota whispered to Darrion quietly.

As Darrion turned around and looked up at his friend, his face expression changed completely. It looked wicked and sinister, the look of a Demon. He nodded, and winked. "There's black markings around the sun. It's a signal... He's here. And he's ready." He whispered ominously, the creepy look on his face making its way onto Kota's too.

Kota nodded back, understanding what the plan now was. As they turned back to Erza, her expression looked forgiving. She glanced back at Jellal, pouted a bit as she saw him smile at her encouragingly, and then said gently to Darrion: "Fine. I'm sorry. And you can go, if you really need to. But you _better_ come right back... or else." She threatened, appearing as intimidating to most but not so much to Kota and Darrion.

Darrion instantly got back in-character, pretending he had to _really_ go to the bathroom. "Yay! I'll go find me some nice bushes over there." He called out, instantly running off into the forest.

That just left Kota with the Fairy Tail wizards. _Soon_... he thought, eyeing them all with disgust.

Once Darrion leaves, Erza realizes she still has everyone's attention. She crosses her arms again, and says: "Everyone. As you may have noticed, Loke hasn't come back for quite some time. I think it would be wise to split up and search for the castle, rather than just sit around waiting for him." She explained, and noticed that there was an equal amount of wizards there. "We'll go in pairs. Pick a partner and start looking." She said, immediately walking over to Jellal's side.

Everyone is still gawking at her dumbly, none of them had even moved a muscle.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Choose someone to look around this forest with, and each pair shall go in a complete different direction if we are to find this castle. It shouldn't be too far from here." She said, eyeing them irritably. "Let's meet back here in an hour."

Suddenly, everyone snapped back to life. Mira lunged for her sister; she didn't want to go with anyone but Lisanna.

"But, Mira-nee..." Lisanna began, eyeing Gray worriedly.

"Hush! Let's go look around the river, okay sis?" Mira said, grabbing her arm.

"And I'll go with Jellal." Erza announced, resting her arm on his shoulder.

Lucy glanced around for Wendy, who was bending down tying her shoe quite a distance away- she appeared to be unaware of what was going on.

Lucy looked back to her right, and caught Natsu's eyes.

_No, she can't go with him_... Kota thought immediately as he saw Lucy look at Natsu. He instantly fast-walked up to her, before she could even utter a single word to Natsu. "Hey, Luce!" He greeted as he put his hand on her shoulder._ I really need to take her now. The timing is perfect. And if it's just the two of us alone, then this will be unbelievably easy_... he thought as he eyed Natsu. "I'd love to go with you. Be my partner?" He asked as he turned back to Lucy, a genuine smile on his handsome, womanizing face.

He almost laughed as he saw Natsu's face expression. It was priceless. _Way_ too funny not to let out a slight chuckle.

"B-But, she's _my_ partner!" Natsu whined.

Of course, even if Lucy was simply Kota's Human object to kidnap, that didn't mean he wouldn't flirt with her. Not with a body and face like that.

"Well actually, she won't be going with you. Sorry." Kota heard a calm, determined voice say from behind them.

They all turned around, and saw Gray leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. He slowly walked up to Kota, and removed his hand from Lucy's shoulder. "We don't know you. So you can't be trusted. Especially not with Lucy." He told Kota, his voice cold and sharp.

The air around them soon thickens with tension. "_Well_ then..." Natsu says as he snakes his arm around Lucy's waist. "Since me and Lucy are _best_ friends, I think we should go together. Right, Lucy?" He asks, grinning at her as he pulls her a bit closer.

Lucy and Kota both sweatdropped. _Their annoying little love triangle thing they got going on is getting in the way of our plans!_... Kota thought to himself irritably, closing his eyes for a moment to think of a different idea.

He then heard with his advanced Dragon Slayer hearing the sound of Gray's teeth clenching.

"You guys... _aren't_ best friends." Gray said slowly, noticeable anger in his voice. _Or, more like jealousy_... Kota thought, chuckling a bit. These people were just too funny.

But before anyone can say anything else, a puff of smoke suddenly appeared directly in front of Lucy. "I object!" Loke cries out, throwing his fist in the air. "If _anyone_ is going to be my lovely master Lucy's partner on anything, it's me." Loke exclaimed, grabbing Lucy's hand and going down on one knee to kiss her palm gently.

Kota, Gray, and Natsu all sweatdropped. Soon though, they were laughing. And as Lucy glanced at them all, she couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. She was pretty sure she knew what was going on.

Natsu, her partner. Gray, her friend. Leo, her spirit. And Kota, her new comrade. They all wanted to pair up with her.

_But, wait... we don't even need this stupid buddy system anymore!_... she realized, looking over to their now-present guide a.k.a Loke. Before she can point this out, Kota stops laughing and speaks up.

"Hey, where are we going again? I forgot." He asked nonchalantly as the others stopped laughing too.

"We're going to the Demons' castle. We have to find my gate keys and the people who stole them from me, since apparently they all desperately want revenge." Lucy explained, thumb-pointing behind her at Gray and Natsu.

Kota smirked. If they were really going to try to get into their castle, the guards outside would simply crush them without a second thought. _For this being so easy, it sure is taking a long time-_

Before he can finish his thought, Loke grabs him by his shirt collar. "That look on your face shows you know something. What's your name again, huh? Where are you from?" He questions, now almost positive that the unidentified boy he was holding in front of him was Kota Silvers.

"Hey, man. There's no need for that. This guy's a Dragon Slayer like me, so I trust him. You don't have to accuse him anymore." Natsu warned, crossing his arms as he stared down Loke.

Loke's eyes widened instantly.

His jaw dropped in disbelief.

He couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

But most of all, he couldn't believe Natsu's stupidity.

"You... _idiot_..." Loke began quietly. He was looking down at the ground, his hair hung over his face; shading his eyes completely.

Natsu and Lucy looked confused. "What?" Natsu questioned, noticing Loke begin to shake with anger.

Suddenly, he looked up. He had a crazed look in his eye as he faced Natsu, his height towering over his. "You IDIOT! One of the guards we've been after this whole time is a _Wind Dragon Slayer_!" Loke yelled, immediately getting everyone's attention.

Jellal, Erza, Mira, Lisanna, and Wendy all looked back at them. They had all heard what Loke said.

And suddenly they remembered.

His name, his appearance, his magic.

Kota Silvers, the silver-haired Wind Dragon Slayer. He'd been with them this whole time. And none of them had even fully realized it.

They all slowly turned to face Kota...

... but he was gone.

Almost blown away, silently like the wind.

* * *

"Natsu, slow down! You're going too fast!" Lucy exclaimed, now jogging to keep up with Natsu and the rest of the group.

"No way!" He called after her, while he continued on running at full speed.

Wendy was by Lucy's side, both were obviously unprepared for all this running. "Lucy-san, I'm really tired too, but the scent is getting stronger. I believe we're getting close." Wendy assured Lucy, who was just as wiped out as Wendy.

Lucy stopped sprinting for a moment to catch her breath, and Wendy stayed by her side. "Wendy... do you really think...-" She began, inhaling deep breaths as she said the words. "-that Kota..." She started, but couldn't finish. Wendy already had been thinking the same thing, anyway.

Wendy looked down steadily, Kota's beautiful face popping into her mind. "It was him, Lucy-san. There's no denying it." She said, and covered her face with her hands. "It's all my fault!" She cried out painfully.

"Wendy..." Lucy breathed, putting a comforting hand on Wendy's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault. To be honest, it was everyone's fault. We should have remembered, we shoud have believed Loke."

Wendy removed her hands from her now-tear stained face, and looked up at Lucy. "But Lucy-san, I'm the one who told him about me and Natsu. If I wouldn't have said that, then he wouldn't have spent all that time with us and..."

"... and this wouldn't have hurt so much." Lucy finished for her.

Both girls could agree that they weren't furious about Kota's lies and betrayal like Natsu and the others were. Lucy and Wendy were heartbroken. He had become such a close friend in only a matter of hours, and already meant so much to them.

But it was all an act. He pretended to be their friend, he faked the emotion and led Natsu and Wendy to believe the three of them would some day find their dragons together.

A promise like that could really strike the heart of a Dragon Slayer. To find out it was all staged made Natsu and Wendy hurt in different ways. Natsu wanted revenge, even more now that he knew Kota was for sure one of the boys who'd attacked Lucy.

Wendy would have liked to forgive Kota, but she knew he didn't actually care for them like she'd thought he did. She didn't want to hurt him, since he was once a friend. But she had to do this for Lucy, for the entire guild. Kota had physically hurt one of Fairy Tail's members, and now he'd taken their trust only to simply rip it to shreds once they'd found out the truth. Wendy knew she had to keep on running, and help Natsu sniff out Kota. She knew they all _needed_ their revenge.

"Even if we trusted him, he betrayed us and physically hurt me... we have to keep going." Lucy reminded Wendy solemnly, who nodded and got a determined look in her eye.

With that, they began running again to catch up with Natsu and the rest of the group.

As Lucy continued sprinting, she didn't even want to remember everyone's reaction after they'd seen Kota had left, it was all too scary.

Natsu had ranted for about five minutes straight about how angry he was at Kota for betraying them all, Erza had been going off yelling about how stupid everyone was for not even bothering to suspect Kota but Loke, while Loke himself was screaming about how no one had believed him in the first place and how he'd been right all along.

Gray soon joined in saying he'd been suspicious of Kota the whole time, but how Natsu had been the first to trust him so much. That angered Natsu, and soon the two of them almost got in a fist fight until Erza stopped them.

Jellal just sat off to the side, facepalming at the sight of them all.

Mira, Lisanna, Wendy, and Lucy were at first too stunned to even move. None of them had ever heard other Fairy Tail members yell this loud before.

Soon though, they all came to their senses when they saw some type of black magic engulf the sky. A strong wind picked up, and even though the sky above was clouded with an eerie, peculiar black fog, the sun overhead still managed to shine brilliantly through the darkness.

Everyone had fell silent, until Loke whispered ominously, "Demon Slayer magic. Wind Dragon Slayer magic. And Sun Magic. The three Demons are together now. And they're ready to fight back."

They all continued to gawk at the impossible above them, it had almost looked like an eclipse of the sun but with a hurricane set in motion. This was obviously the powers of the Demons.

It was then that Natsu began to pick up on Kota's scent, and instantly began following it. Everyone realized he'd gotten a clue as to where these Demons were, and began to run after him.

And as they're following him to the Demons, Natsu and Wendy notice that the smell is getting stronger. They continued running through the woods, now almost impossible to see with the dark fog and somewhat faded sun looming in the sky.

It almost looked like nighttime, but with the sun out instead of the moon. Not only that, but the strong winds were starting to pick up and blow in the direction that the Fairy Tail mages were running to.

"This way!" Natsu yelled, and began running up a tall hill.

Everyone followed him, the wind somehow feeling as though it was pushing them upwards; allowing them to run almost directly uphill with ease.

Soon, the reached the top of the mountain-like hill. _This must be where the castle is..._ Natsu thought as he climbed up. _We're in the deepest depths of the woods, this must be it..._

But he was wrong.

They were at a dead end. What they faced in front of them was the edge of a cliff, the roaring ocean beneath them.

"W-What's going on?!" Mira yelled immediately.

Erza turned to Natsu. "You idiot! _No one_ is here."

Natsu's eyes widened. "B-But there is! Kota's scent is all over this place! He's got to be n-"

Suddenly, a bright light flashed in front of them all. It almost looked like a mix between a lightning bolt and a drop of the sun.

The light lingered there for a moment, absorbing power from the glowing sun above. And soon, a bright figure slowly stepped out from the shining light.

A figure that appeared to be the exact same shape and look of the young boy who'd been held captive by them earlier...

_... Blood-red hair, liquid-golden eyes, tan skin..._

"YOU!" Erza immediately screeched, easily recognizing the Sun Magic mage called Darrion Blaze whom had been with them not too long ago.

Darrion simply grinned, his young face twisted up and evil. "No one could ever surpass the power of my lovely Artemis."

"W-What? You tricked us too?!" Wendy shrieked, dropping down to her knees as the sky grew darker and the harsh wind picked up.

Darrion's sinister grin grew bigger, and he let out a laugh that showed pity.

"Of course he did, Wendy! He was lying along with Kota this whole time!" Loke yelled out, then lunged to attack Darrion.

Darrion simply dodged with ease. "Not so fast, Leo." He spoke calmly, his voice raspy as Loke fell to the ground.

And as Darrion stood above him with his arms crossed, he made the sun begin to shine so brightly that it momentarily blinded all except for him.

"H-Hey! I can't see!" Natsu yelled out, only able to see endless white lights.

Darrion chuckled as they all heard a terrified scream erupt. One that came from a certain blonde-haired Celestial Spirit mage.

"LUCY!" They all cried out as they soon got their vision back.

She was floating in midair, held over the very edge of the high cliff above the crashing ocean.

"I-I can't move!" She screamed.

The wind began to increase again, and she was soon engulfed by a small tornado that caged her in directly over the ocean miles below.

A silver-haired boy suddenly flew up the edge of the cliff, and landed next to Darrion. He's twirling his pointer finger in a circle, causing his Wind magic to keep Lucy succumbed inside the tornado away from her comrades.

"Urghh, KOTA!" Natsu yelled, loud enough to blow the roof off a house. He growled viciously, teeth clenched as he practically took the form of a real dragon.

Kota got a wicked grin on his face as soon as he saw Natsu. But he didn't move to attack.

Seeing that evil smirk, Natsu lunged to attack him without even getting the chance to think.

But before he could even make contact, an odd, blackish-blue flame-like magic spell hit him hard. He flew back a few feet, making everyone else gasp with surprise.

As he almost rolled down the other side of the cliff, he noticed a figure in the shadows of the woods.

The dark figure was slouched against one of the trees, hands in pockets as he looked down steadily. The black aura of magic surrounding him proved he'd been the one who had hit Natsu.

Skylar slowly stood up, appearing out of the shadows and quietly walked over to Kota and Darrion's side.

_I remember him... he's that red-eyed, black-haired boy who we ran into a while back. The one who'd said..._ Lucy's thoughts suddenly cut off. She recognized him. He was the one who'd warned they were gonna get her, soon.

And now they did._ But, not if Fairy Tail can stop it..._ she thought, trying not to cry as she gave faith to her comrades.

"H-Hey! I remember you!" Gray called out as he pointed at Skylar.

"I _knew_ it! It was you guys all along!" Loke suddenly yelled out.

Now they all knew. The battle they'd been waiting for this whole time was about to begin.

Skylar sighed, and glanced at Kota and Darrion. "Let's finish this up quick, okay? I wanna go home already." He said, paying no attention to the Fairy Tail wizards.

"HEY! We're standing right over here, bastard!" Natsu screeched, flailing his arms all over the place in a childish pout-like way.

"Yeah! Don't talk as if defeating us will be easy!" Gray yelled, getting ready for one of his attacks.

Skylar rolled his eyes. Kota chuckled. And Darrion full-on laughed. "But we already did." Darrion announced, nodding at Skylar.

Skylar nodded back, and before anyone from Fairy Tail could move, he made four black-blue shadow-like walls and surrounded them with it.

He'd created something like a cage barrier, one made of powerful Demon magic energy.

"What the hell is this?!" Natsu cried out, ramming his flamed fist into the wall. No matter how much or how hard he punched it, it wouldn't break.

Gray tried to freeze the cage and break it, but the magic wouldn't work on the wall. The Demon cage would simply make his ice shatter over his hands.

Erza requipped into her Sky Sorceress armor, and attempted to fly over the wall. But to no avail, as she simply hit an invisible ceiling that burned her at the touch.

"We won't let you take Lucy!" Mira cried, and changed into her Satan Soul. But not even combined with Erza's armors, the two of them couldn't even crack the wall of magic energy.

It was all useless. None of them could break free.

"Everyone, please! I know you can do it!" Lucy yelled out from the harsh winds of the vortex that she was trapped within.

Darrion laughed cruelly, and Kota chuckled again. "This was too easy." Kota said, a creepy grin still on his face.

Skylar crossed his arms, and looked down. "Your pitiful Human magic could never compare to that of a Demon." He told the other wizards, taunting them.

Natsu's teeth clench with anger, and he's about to cast his most powerful spell when he suddenly hears Wendy begin to cry.

"W-What's gonna happen to us? And what about Lucy-san? Who's going to save her if we c-can't?" Wendy begins, tears starting to fall from her innocent brown eyes. She looks to the person standing closest to her, and sees it's Jellal. "Oh, Mystogan, please help us!" She cried out, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly.

"I.. I'm not..." He begins quietly, but stops himself. He figured it would be better to let the girl believe for the moment that he was his Edolas-counterpart. Just for her comfort. He put an arm around her back, and let her cry into his shirt.

Erza, Mira, and Lisanna smiled at the sight. But then they noticed Loke disappear in a puff of smoke.

"Hey... what happened to the cat guy?" Lisanna asked, glancing around for the Lion spirit.

"No way... did Loke just go back to the Spirit World?! Right when we could really use his help...?!" Gray started, panic rising in his voice.

Then the Celestial Spirit appeared again, only this time, _outside_ of the magic walls.

"Oh, I should've seen this coming." Kota said, as Loke ran to attack him.

"_**O Regulus... Grant me your strength**_!" Loke chanted, and once he was close enough to Kota, he quickly got in his casting stance.

_Loke... I believe in you..._ Lucy thought as she watched him begin to fight. From the looks of it, it seemed as though he was her last chance to be saved. _It's all up to you now, Loke..._

"Hmm. Guess you're not the only one here with Light magic powers, Darrion." Kota said as a large amount of light was let out from Loke's body. Just this once, Kota had underestimated an opponent's power.

"_**Lion Brilliance!**_" Once the spell was casted, the light covered a wide radius; and just like Darrion's spell, it momentarily blinded them. Loke took this opportunity to attack them while their guard was down. He gathered light in his open right palm and clenched his fist, "**_Regulus Impact!_**" Right when the punch was about to collide with Kota, a large lion's face materialized out of light and striked the exact target; blasting Kota away with great force.

"Nice hit, Loke!" Lucy cheered from the side, still trapped in the wind vortex.

"Y-Yeah... nice once!" Natsu called out awkwardly from inside Skylar's magic cage.

Kota still lay on the ground, not moving a muscle.

Loke tried not to look surprised, then faced Skylar and Darrion. "Now if you two want any of _that_, then I suggest you-"

"-Hey, Kota. Quit playing around. Finish this already." Skylar commanded, annoyance in his voice.

"Seriously, man. I wanna go home to Artemis now." Darrion whined, jumping up and down.

Loke's eyes widened, and he quickly looked back to where Kota was on the ground. But he wasn't there anymore.

"Alright, alright. I'm going." Kota said nonchalantly from behind Loke.

As the spirit turned around, Kota put his hand out, creating a silver magic circle to appear in front of him. Loke tried to dodge the 250 mile-per-hour winds that blew out from it, but they were impossible to evade. The blasts of winds were so strong that they knocked over every single one of the trees behind Loke. All while Loke himself was blown over to a boulder and smashed into it so hard that it cracked the entire rock into pieces.

"Huh. It's amazing his body is still in one piece, don'tcha think Skylar?" Darrion asked Skylar innocently.

Skylar just nodded back silently.

"Loke! You have to get up! Kota's coming!" Lucy called out, but Loke could barely hear her. Then everyone else inside the cage of Skylar's magic began yelling after him, but Loke's pain blocked out his hearing.

Soon, Kota hovered over Loke. "I guess I'll just finish this now." Kota said, bending down on his knees to sit next to the crippled Loke. "Well, you know... you always got on my nerves. You think you had Artemis all those years back, didn't you? Well, you never did. She's always been mine." Kota explained, his voice steely and cold.

Loke chuckled a bit, despite the fact that it caused him sheer agony to simply move. "Heh, she still likes me. She hasn't forgot about me, Kota. No one could ever forget their first love." He said smoothly, but he didn't know how big of a mistake he was making.

This infuriated Kota. He couldn't stand looking at the spirit in front of him anymore. He had to finish this up already. He slowly stood up, and aimed his face down at Loke.

All that Skylar, Darrion, and the other Fairy Tail wizards could hear from the distance they were at was:

"_**ROAR... OF THE WIND DRAGON!**_"

And for a moment, no one said anything. They had seen the explosion of silver wind, but Loke and Kota were too far away to be seen.

"NO! Loke!" Lucy screeched, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Everyone else was still stunned into complete silence, until Darrion's evil laugh erupted. "HA! That spirit of yours was no match for Kota. You Humans just admit it... none of you could ever defeat a Demon!"

Skylar sighs, exasperated with the whole situation. This was taking much longer than needed.

"No one in the world is stronger than our wonderful Artemis! If any of you really thought you could defeat her, you're out of your mind! She's one of the strongest wizards in Edolas. And since she's a Demon, it proves that she's stronger than all of you!" Darrion cries out wickedly, taunting the other wizards.

As Kota joins them, Skylar throws him an irritated look. "What took you so long? Let's go." He commanded, and Kota nodded in approval. He moved his pointer finger around again, bringing the 8-foot-tall tornado carrying Lucy over to his side.

"W-What? You can't just leave them!" Lucy shrieked, trying to point over to Natsu and the others.

Skylar glanced back at them too, then scrunched his face up in disgust. "Sure I can." He said simply, then turned back around and started walking back to the castle; Kota and Darrion following close behind him.

"HEY! What the hell, man! LET US OUT!" Natsu screamed, pounding his firing fists onto the magic wall as he watched the three Demons walk off with his precious Lucy.

But he felt a soft, soothing hand on his shoulder. Slowly, he turned around. "L-Lisanna...?"

Lisanna smiled sweetly, Gray by her side. "Don't worry, Natsu. This is a good thing. Right, Gray-kun?"

Gray nodded, his arms crossed as he stood next to Lisanna. "There's still one thing we haven't tried yet." He pointed out.

Question marks danced all over Natsu's head. "Eh...?"

* * *

"Let... me... OUT!" Lucy shrieked angrily, trying her best to escape from the tornado.

It really annoyed her that the guy who was making the tornado contain her like that was just walking normally, as if he wasn't even doing anything with his magic. And yet still, he was able to keep a powerful vortex out like that without even trying.

"Just be quiet, prisoner." Skylar said, boredom in his voice as he continued walking through the woods with Kota and Darrion.

"How could you do this to us..." Lucy began quietly, feeling the hurt of Kota's betrayal in her heart again.

Skylar sighed, and looked away. He _so_ didn't need this right now.

"Well..." Kota began, a gentle smile on his face as he tapped his chin. "Sure you're cute and all, Luce, but I still need to fulfill my master's orders. Y'know?" He explained, completely heartlessly. He really didn't seem to care about her feelings.

"Yeah, she's cute, but she won't survive." Darrion said with a chuckle. "But, wait. No one's cuter than Artemis." He added, his voice a bit more serious for some reason.

Kota raised his hand in the air a bit. "I second that."

Skylar rolled his eyes. "Why do you guys compare every girl to Artemis?"

Kota grinned at him. "Why? You mad bro?"

Darrion snickered. "He _likes_ Artemis..."

Skylar tried to keep from blushing. "I do not!"

"Hey... can one of you back up? What did you mean, I 'won't survive'?" Lucy asked. She honestly didn't know how to feel around these guys. Somehow, even after what they did to her, they still just didn't seem _scary_.

Skylar grinned, and looked down. His dark, shiny hair shaded his eyes as he ominously whispered, "We're taking you to our princess."

Lucy was quiet for a moment. She remembered hearing about this Demon princess... one that was named Artemis... "W-What's gonna happen to me?"

Kota and Darrion grinned too, a kind of wicked grin that held evil. "In the name of the Moon Goddess, you shall die."

Silence.

Skylar, Kota, and Darrion weren't expecting a quick response. They knew she probably hadn't been expecting to die tonight, but that's just how it had worked out.

_No... this can't be happening..._ Lucy began to think, feeling her heart begin throbbing in her chest. _Natsu and the others will eventually escape that trap. They'll save me. Natsu... I just know he'll save me again..._

"Artemis needs the power of the 12 Golden Keys of the Zodiac. Obviously, since you're the original owner of the keys, you have to die in order for the spirits to be able to make a new contract with someone. So, Artemis told us to retrieve you and take you to her. That's all." Skylar explained heartlessly, not even thinking about the fact that he was telling a girl of her deadly, soon-to-come fate.

"Yeah. The princess just said she wanted to have a little 'chat' with you, and something about revenge." Darrion told Lucy, either oblivious or unmoved by the look of fear that was now on her face.

_Now_ she was terrified. If these Demons were really that cold and heartless, she couldn't imagine how their master would be. _But Natsu will save me..._ she tried to encourage herself, more tears forming in her eyes. _Maybe Loke couldn't do it, but I know you can, Natsu..._

And before Lucy even knew it, they were inside an enormous, dark stone castle.

Kota finally began to let the winds surrounding her slow down, and she fell to the floor. She looked up, and noticed she was directly in front of a throne.

The entire room was pitch-black, with no windows to let in the light. Maybe this was just how Demons lived.

There was only a single circle of light, which Lucy was right in the middle of. She was on top of the long red carpet, looking up at a huge, gold-and-purple throne that was almost completely hidden by shadows.

A girl with long, straight, layered blue hair with thick purple streaks stepped down from her throne, and directly into the light where Lucy was.

Lucy saw she had pale skin, enormous purple eyes, and a beautiful, young face. She looked around fifteen years old, no taller than 5"4.

_Why this is just a little girl..._ Lucy thought as the girl stepped closer to her.

And then she noticed them. The young girl had black bat-like wings, a sharp fang peeking out from the side of her top lip, and a long black devil tail. _What is this girl?._.. Lucy wondered in amazement, gawking at how pretty the girl still looked.

"Hello, Lucy Heartfilia." She greeted calmly. Her voice was like whispers of the night, a sing-song voice that sounded as though it were blowing through the starry night sky. "My name is Artemis Selene Luna. And I'm going to have to kill you."


	10. The Heart of the Fire Dragon

**_Author's Note: Alright everyone. At long last, THE FINAL CHAPTER OF THE HEART OF THE FIRE DRAGON IS HERE! xD I'm so happy I finally finished it, overall I'm pretty proud of this story... & I'm soo glad you guys motivated me enough to actually finish this whole thing! Hahaha ;D Anyway, I truly hope you like this ending! Please review when you're done, I'd especially love to hear your thoughts on this chapter... LOL. Oh & I might make a semi-sequel to this, kind of a part 2 but kinda not... It's hard to explain when you haven't read this entire story yet! O_o Anyway, I'll explain later. Maybe. When most of you have finished this chapter...?_**

**_And one last thing, you might notice Artemis is sort of a TSUNDERE, if you know what that means. She was meant to be that way, the personality matches her perfect! XD Hehe okay I'll let you start this final chapter now. :) This'll be my last Author's Note for a while so I'll just be saying sayonara!_**

**_This is CelineFullbuster, signing out~ (=_**

* * *

Erza requipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor. "On three." She began, her voice cold and determined.

Mira transformed into her most powerful, dangerous Satan Soul: Sitri.

"Animal Soul: Tigress!" Lisanna yelled as she too transformed.

"Two!" Erza called out, aiming over 100 swords in front of her.

Gray blushed at the sight of Lisanna in a tiger-striped bikini. "I-Ice Make: Ice Cannon!"

Jellal crossed his arms above his head, nearby shadows drawing towards him. "Heavenly Body Magic: Altairis."

Erza began to say her last countdown, but Natsu beat her to it. "One!" He shouted, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

At that moment, all of the combined wizards' attacks blasted at the Demon magic barrier that was keeping them locked within.

The strong wall slowly began to crack, as all of the mages used their full strength concentrated on their most powerful spells.

"It-It's working!" Loke called out from outside of the cage, still too weak and beat-up to do anything but cheer them on.

Soon, the powerful Demon magic was shattered, leaving behind nothing but small, glittering black and purple crystals.

Setting free some of the most powerful wizards in Fairy Tail.

And boy, were they pissed off.

"Those BASTARDS! I hope they're prepared to _die_ tonight!" Natsu screamed at the top of his lungs, once he was free.

In fact, he yelled so loudly that the sound waves almost knocked everyone over.

"Everyone, _to the castle!_" Erza commanded, feeling as though they were all knights on their way to save the princess from the evil castle.

They all began following Jellal- who was helping Loke run- in the direction that shortly led to the ancient, dark stone Demon castle.

_Just wait, Lucy..._ Natsu began thinking as he continued to run as fast as he possibly could. _We'll save you. Don't worry..._

* * *

"B-But why?" Lucy began, her voice already shaky.

Artemis crossed her arms defiantly, and stomped her foot. "For being the source of all my problems!" She shrieked, leaning a bit into Lucy; who was still on the ground.

Off to the side of the nearly pitch-black room, Kota and Darrion let out a laugh. "It's not her fault though, honestly." Kota said, still grinning as he held up a finger to prove his point. He was mostly just saying this tease his master though, of course.

"Y-Yeah..." Darrion agrees, after his laughter died down. "Remember, Artemis? You were the one who made the mistake of-"

"-SHUT IT, YOUNG BLOOD!" Artemis screeched back in response.

Darrion instantly quieted down, whimpering like a sad little puppy.

_Heh, they're definitely NOT what I expected, that's for sure..._ Lucy began to think, as Artemis turned back to her.

How powerful could this fifteen-year-old girl really be? This whole time, had Lucy been overreacting?

"It... It couldn't have been helped. I swear, I never did anything to purposely get in your way." Lucy admitted, as Artemis stared her down.

At first, the young Demon princess didn't respond.

"Believe me, though..." Lucy began again, taking her silence as a response. "I know what you're trying to do. And it's not worth it. You don't want to be Demon Queen, trust me. And killing me just for my spirits won't do you any good... "

At this, Artemis was quickly angered. "You wouldn't know anything about it!" She yelled, and aimed her pale hand right at her.

Before Lucy could move, she was blasted with a glittering, blue-ish purple laser that sent her flying.

"Ouch!" Lucy cried out as she slammed against the stone castle wall.

Artemis stalked up to her angrily. "What makes you think you know what I want? You don't _know_ me; you don't know my life!" She yelled as the darkness surrounded Lucy and strangled her, due to Artemis's Darkness Magic: Bind spell.

Lucy struggled for a moment, and remembered more about what Loke had told her about Artemis. She squeezed her eyes shut, and summoned all her courage to speak up once more. "Artemis..." Lucy slowly began. "Your father. Doesn't he abuse you?"

Artemis looked surprised for a moment, but soon narrowed her purple eyes again. "Uh, so? What's it matter, blondie?"

She looked up, straight at Artemis, and tried to smile genuinely. "You seem like you're secretly a nice person, Artemis. Don't you think your father... th-the Demon King... abuses his power? I-I'm worried about you... if you ever do become Demon Queen..."

Artemis gasped a bit. "Er... _what_?"

_How did she know?..._ Artemis began thinking, remembering back when she'd been pondering the exact same thing herself.

It was when her father had been right about to execute Darrion for being weak. The Demon King had heartlessly began to beat him senseless, right in front of her, Kota, and Skylar. The King obviously had too much power and money to do whatever he wanted, that it wasn't safe. This kind of control was simply too strong for just one being.

**_(Author's Note: Okay, I know I said you could skip Chapter 5 if you wanted, but I totally forgot that THERE'S SOME CRUCIAL INFORMATION you must know for the story in it. Just a little. Like what Artemis had been thinking about was one of them. Sorry again for this! ._.)_**

_My father does abuse his power. He's wicked, cold, and heartless. I know he doesn't love me, or any of my brothers or sisters, no one. All he cares about is strength and power..._ Artemis thought, recalling of the first time she'd thought about this. _Would I... really become as cruel as him if I did someday become Demon Queen?_

"Listen to me... I can practically hear it in your heart; you're terrified of becoming Queen. You thought it was what you'd wanted all your life, but really you're scared it might change you." Lucy said, disrupting Artemis from her thoughts.

_How does she know this? Is it really that obvious?_... Artemis, though, soon began to get angry again. How could this stranger, this blonde-haired Celestial Spirit wizard really be able to read her so well? It was just... all so annoying! Artemis clenched her teeth, and balled her hands into angry fists. "Y-You... don't know anything about me! Stop acting like you do!" She shrieked, feeling completely mixed emotions that she herself couldn't even begin to understand.

Even so, she knew it had always been her destiny to win the tournament and be crowned Queen. And in order for that to happen, she needed the Golden Keys of the Zodiac under her control. That couldn't happen unless Lucy Heartfilia was dead.

Hiding her questioning side, Artemis instantly turned into her angry self again. She forcefully kicked Lucy out of frustration, making the already-injured blonde mage slide off to the side of the dim castle room.

And as soon as Artemis heard the poor girl scream out in agony, Artemis suddenly got a flashback of a certain something that happened not too long ago.

_Her father was kicking around Darrion, abusing him and just simply toying with him for amusement. He could have cared less that Darrion was crying out in agony like Lucy here was, the King simply grinned sadistically as he enjoyed the sheer screams of pain. Artemis stood off to the side, unable to do anything as she watched her father beat up one of her only friends. She knew that she could never, ever let herself be that way. She could never be like her father. She wanted to stay herself forever, and not let a little power, money, and fame change her like it did to her father._

She remembered the second thoughts she'd been having about becoming Demon Queen after witnessing that, and the fear she felt for those thoughts about backing out of something she'd been training for her entire life. It was what she was born to do, and after all this time, she'd thought it was her destiny. Until the day came that she realized her father was truly evil. A sick, heartless being that could care less for family or love.

Artemis couldn't believe she was thinking about all that again. It was something she'd never wanted to remember. Mostly because she knew that if she changed her mind, her life so far would have been nothing but a waste.

_I can't let that happen. I spent my whole life training for this tournament, and soon I'm going to win it. All I need is Lucy Heartfilia's life. When I win, I won't be like my cruel father..._ she tried to convince herself, but somehow failing at it.

Artemis walked up to Lucy, who was lying down on the cold castle ground in pain. "It's time, Lucy Heartfilia..." She began, hoping she could do this without her mind taking over her intentions again. She's about to unleash one of her most simple spells- one that could reduce any Human to ash- when she feels a mental stab at her heart . The guilt was starting to eat at her again.

_If I kill her, then it's practically a done deal that I'll become Demon Queen. But... is that what I truly, honestly want in life...?_ Artemis began to feel cold tears form in her eyes. The confusion of it all petrified her. It would to anyone, if they were going to make a decision that could possibly kill the ones she loved and change who she was forever.

Then before she can come close to making a decision, she begins to feel the ground shake. As do Lucy, Skylar, Kota, and Darrion.

"Oh no..." Darrion began, fear rising in his voice.

"W-What's going on? It can't be... _him_, right?" Kota started, immediately looking straight at Skylar.

Skylar crossed his arms and looked down shamefully. "I was afraid this might happen..." He answered back simply.

Kota and Darrion inhaled sharply.

"It's him." Skylar whispered ominously.

At that moment, a giant, 10-foot-tall evil being crashed into the room. He was so angry that he didn't even care that he just destroyed a wall in his castle, he simply stalked right in. His teeth were clenched, and hands in fists. **"ARTEMIS!"** He yelled, his deep voice causing the entire castle to shake.

Artemis inhaled sharply, just the sight of her father causing her fear to rise and knees to shake with terror. "Y-Yes... your majesty?"

Lucy had never been more petrified in her entire life. She had never seen a person... a _creature_ as terrifying as this one. There was no question about it. This must be Artemis's father, the Demon King of Edolas.

He furiously stomps up to Artemis, his footsteps leaving cracks in the castle ground. "You weak, worthless piece of TRASH! How could you _ever_ believe that you could run this castle when you can't even get _your own three minions_ to do as you say?!" He yelled, the anger in his voice able to intimidate any live being.

"W-What? No, y-you've got it all wrong! Skylar, Kota, and Darrion _did_ do as I said, they brought me Lucy Heartfilia like they promised!" She yelled back, swallowing her fear and facing her father.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT, CHILD!" He bellowed, and Artemis prepared herself to be attacked. But, surprisingly, she wasn't.

"They in fact did _not_ do as they were told. They hurt the Demon pride. They failed and now they must pay for it with their lives!" And with that, he faced the three boys. The only three people Artemis had in her life who cared about her and loved her for who she was. The only three friends she ever had.

"NO!" She shrieked, getting her father's attention back. "They never did _anything_ wrong! Tell me, father, what do you believe they did that they must be executed for?!"

The Demon King chucked slightly, scaring the wits out of everyone. "Artemis Luna, they _failed_. And as their master, _you_ failed along with them. Their mission was to stop the Fairy Tail wizards, for which they did not do. So as punishment for disobeying the Kingdom, they must die!" He yelled, and let out a cruel, evil laughter that erupted and echoed throughout the castle.

Artemis dropped to the floor, and began to feel the sting of tears in her eyes. That laugh, it was the _exact same one_ her father had let out while he was toying with Darrion. The same one that showed pure pleasure at the sight of people hurt. _How could someone... be so evil... and blood-related to me..._ Artemis thought as more tears fell.

Suddenly, her father smacked her so hard that she flew across the room. She crashed into the wall, just like Lucy had. _Just like what I did to Lucy Heartfilia..._ Artemis began thinking._ I did the exact same thing to her._

"How many times must I tell you, you ungrateful, disrespectful little brat!" The King screamed out as his daughter hit the stone wall. "STOP THIS NONSENSE! YOU'RE HURTING OUR PRIDE WITH YOUR PATHETIC, MEANINGLESS TEARS!"

Artemis looked up, and saw her father seething with anger. "B-But... can you at least tell me what my slaves did to fail?" Her voice was trembling, and she wiped some tears from her eyes. "They brought me who I was searching f-"

"-Stop at once! If you don't believe me, look at this." He announced, eyeing the other wizards in the room with disgust.

Suddenly, an enormous lacrima screen appeared. It showed what was happening outside the castle.

There were eight wizards shown, as they arrived just outside the ancient castle. Without hesitation, they instantly broke through the castle door. An army of guards appeared, and attempted to fight off the intruders.

But it was clear that the Demon guards were no match for the other wizards. Some of them, especially a certain pink-haired fire-breathing male, simply stalked through the army with ease. They casted a few spells- setting off fiery explosions that reduced every single one of the guards to ash.

Seeing this, Lucy instantly piped up. She didn't dare say a word though, for she was still paralyzed with fear. She continued to lie on the castle ground, hidden in the shadows.

She glanced over at Artemis, who was trying to stand up; not too far away from her. As Lucy watched her, Artemis instantly shot her a look.

It confused Lucy. The expression on the young girl's face was almost completely unreadable, and Lucy had no idea what she could be thinking as she stared down at her.

"They broke through the barrier." Skylar admitted quietly.

Kota lowered his head in shame. Because of this, they had all failed. Now they understood why they had to die.

Darrion instantly began to tear up. "I-I'm scared, Skylar." He whimpered as he hugged his older friend tightly.

Silently, the Demon King turned to face the three young Demons.

Artemis tried to hold in her emotions, tried to keep from breaking down. But it was hard to bare. Keeping her feelings bottled up inside was not an option. She had to watch her only friends in this world be killed by her own father, and that she could not handle.

"H-Hey, come on, man! You aren't _seriously_ gonna kill us, are you? We've been loyal to Artemis since day one!" Kota suddenly yelled out, surprising everyone.

Even Lucy gasped. _He's not really that stupid, is he?_... She thought as she watched the normally carefree, womanizing Wind Dragon Slayer stand up to who just might be the strongest, most evil wizard in both the entire kingdom of Fiore _and_ Edolas.

Skylar facepalmed at Kota's outburst. Darrion simply clung on to Skylar tighter, and he put his arm around his young friend comfortingly. Skylar then looked straight at the Demon King, who still looked a bit stunned. "If only... you would let us explain, sir...-" He began cautiously.

The King snapped out of his shock, then angrily narrowed his red eyes at the three of them. A dark, furious aura suddenly surrounded him, making the air feel of nothing but evil. "-SILENCE!" He yelled, making the castle shake again.

Then he attacked them.

Artemis watched in pure terror and shock as the King tortured them. He didn't kill them quickly, definitely not. He was playing with them again, injuring them and enjoying the pain they showed before executing them once and for all._ A person who... enjoys hurting innocent people... is not a person at all!..._ Artemis thought, and suddenly knew what to do.

A sharp pain stabbed at her heart as she saw her only friends be thrown around and beaten by her father, and she screeched at the sight; unable to hold in the pain she felt for losing them. Then suddenly, she stood up. She had to tell them, and they were still to obey even now that they weren't under the control of her evil beast of a father. She knew they would still listen.

"Skylar! Kota, Darrion! Listen to me!" She shouted, catching their attention as they attempted to dodge an attack by the King.

They looked at her, then back at her father. He was so busy enjoying this one-sided fight that he didn't notice her calling for them.

"This is an _order_!" She cried out, "FIGHT BACK!"

At first, they didn't respond.

The King let out another laughter of evil, oblivious to the cries of Artemis.

The three Demons watched the King in horror, unable to believe that Artemis truly thought they could stand a chance against this beast. Sure, the three of them were among the top 10 wizards in their world, but they couldn't stand a chance against the person who was number one. That person was the man laughing cruelly in front of them.

Artemis gave it another try. "Don't you DARE underestimate yourselves! I just _know_ you can do it! As your master, _I order you to_ _attack!_" She screeched, putting her faith fully in their hands.

Darrion sniffled, still crying. He tearfully looked at Kota, who was to his left.

Kota simply grinned evilly.

Even Skylar. The leader of the three smiled a wicked, sinister grin. "I thought you'd never ask." He responded back smoothly.

Kota ran a pale hand through his shining silver hair. "As you wish, Princess." He breathed out seductively, as calm as could be.

And with that, the three minions began to let out their full power. Without question, they began to fight back.

"W-What's this? You three actually believe that you can lay a scratch upon me?!" The Demon King yelled out as he saw them run up to him; their bodies so full of magical power that they practically glowed with black, silver and red magical energy.

Artemis almost cried tears of joy.

Because, somehow...

... they were able to hold him off. Which, for centuries, was thought to be impossible.

Artemis didn't know what to do. She couldn't escape, not without her friends. But she couldn't sit here and watch them either. She only wanted to make sure they were okay.

Suddenly, Artemis felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She instantly turned around, and came face-to-face with the one and only Lucy Heartfilia.

Lucy grinned sweetly down at the young, powerful Demon princess. "Hey you. Can we talk?"

Artemis crossed her arms and pouted. She had no idea what to do now. She didn't know what she wanted anymore, what she didn't want, or any clue as to what her future would be. Not anymore, at least. All she knew was that she wanted her only three friends safe and sound with her forever.

Lucy took this pout a yes. "I know you must be really confused, troubled, and worried right now. But I want you to know that this isn't the life a girl like you would want, trust me."

Artemis shuddered a bit, but didn't respond. Lucy decided it was safe to keep going. "I don't want you to go mad with power... like, you know... _that_." She explained cautiously, chin-pointing over at the Demon King. "I don't want you to lose your friends either. Believe me, a life of luxury in a castle like this isn't all it's cracked up to be."

Artemis stayed quiet for a moment. Then, she looked up at Lucy.

And couldn't believe what she saw. There was this beautiful, blonde-haired Celestial Spirit wizard looking back down at her with the most innocent, understanding brown eyes. The kind of eyes that only mothers possess as they look down at their wonderful children, love in their warm chocolate orbs. No one had ever looked at Artemis like that, and somehow, it really got to her. Almost like the lovely mother she never had.

Lucy looked straight at Artemis with such an understanding, patient face that showed her that she really did understand. She wasn't just some annoying blondie who had something she wanted anymore; she was a sweet girl who actually cared for and understood her.

Artemis _knew_ that she could, because the face expression read that she, too, had been in her exact situation before.

A large estate, all the money in the world, the power to get anything she could ever want in life, the ability to become the family's next top leader... and a cruel, evil father that showed no love, kindness or compassion for anyone but himself.

Artemis began to cry again, at first trying to deny everything. The she took one look at the ongoing battle, and saw something that made her blood run cold.

Her strong, confident, powerful minions were starting to lose... to the evil Demon King... her _father_. And she realized that he would never, _ever_ forgive her for telling them to attack him. Whenever, _how_ ever, this all ended, she knew she would be dead regardless.

As Artemis saw her father begin to destroy her friends, she realized she had never seen a more evil person in her life. This man... he was no longer her father. He was a creature with only a need for wealth, power, and control. The father she used to know before her mother left them was no longer the man in front of her, and now she finally knew for sure.

"I know how it feels. Sweetheart, come here." The soft, gentle voice told Artemis.

She obeyed without question. She gratefully ran into Lucy Heartfilia's open arms, and began crying into her neck. "I...I... I'm so sorry!" She wailed, Lucy only hugging her tighter.

Meanwhile, Skylar, Kota, and Darrion were having a bit of trouble.

"This sucks." Kota groaned as he and Darrion attempted a unison raid, their fingers held up and locked together as a blast of mixed Sun and Wind magic formed.

"Just shut up and do it!" Skylar yelled as he struggled to keep the Demon King down. "Shadow Demon's Darkness Blast!" He casted a powerful spell that was strong enough to knock their opponent back down onto the floor, as Kota and Darrion aimed their power straight at the target.

Soon, the unison raid of burning-hot winds blasted down directly atop the King.

And for a moment, he didn't move.

Then... a few seconds later, he stood back up, and smirked.

Skylar sighed. "Why does he have to keep doing this..."

Kota facepalmed. "It's like no matter how hard we hit him... he still stands right back up as if just a simple wind blew past him."

Darrion started running around in little circles, flailing his arms all over the place. "It must be some kind of healing magic, guys! We're doomed! DOOMED!" He panicked, making Skylar and Kota flinch.

"It's not healing magic. It's called stamina, idiots." The King retorted evilly as he cast a Demon spell that sent a wave of black magic directly at them.

The battle was starting to become one-sided again. The Demon King's endurance to all their attacks was starting to have an effect on them; they were beginning to run out of magical power. They didn't know how much longer they could handle, but tried not to lose faith.

Fighting against possibly the strongest being in the world was definitely _not_ easy for them, obviously. xD

"I swear, I'm gonna lose my cool here soon. That's never happened before." Kota said, his voice sounding as though he were in pain.

Even if they felt they were going to lose- or even possibly die tonight, they still couldn't bring themselves to be _too_ serious. "What about the time..." Darrion breathed out slowly, trying to collect any magical power he had left, "... that you beat up that lion Celestial Spirit? You normally beat up people 'coolly', but there you-"

"-It was because of Artemis. I just _had_ to get mad at him and lose my cool that time! Remember? That dude Leo thought-"

"-_Silence_." Skylar cut in. Kota and Darrion looked at him, and saw he was deadly serious now.

They all noticed the Demon King preparing for one of his strongest attacks- one that they knew would kill them for sure.

The King was done playing with them. Now he was really going to execute them.

"I just want you two idiots to know..." Skylar began slowly, as the power of the King's spell grew stronger, "-that even though I hate you sometimes... I still love you guys." He whispered, his dark hair completely shading his eyes as he spoke the words to his friends.

Darrion's eyes filled with tears again. "Aww, Skylar! We love you too! GROUP HUG!" He yelled out, and grabbed Kota.

"Hey, what are you-" Kota began to protest, but before he could move, Darrion had pushed him into Skylar for a group hug.

"Okay... you over did it, Darrion." Skylar commented without emotion as Darrion squeezed him and Kota.

The Demon King's spell was now ready. Skylar sighed a bit in relief- at least he could die having known that he'd told his two friends that he actually _didn't_ hate them like it had always seemed.

"You boys ready?" The King proclaimed wickedly.

Kota grinned a bit, then pushed his way out of Darrion's grasp. "Just a second."

Over on the other side of the enormous castle room, Lucy and Artemis huddled together in the darkness. "Th-this can't be happening..." Artemis began, seeing her father begin to cast a spell that could easily annihilate all three of her friends.

Lucy watched for a moment, and realized what was about to happen. _No, I thought they'd be here by now! If I would have known the Demons weren't going to survive any longer, I would have-..._

Lucy's thoughts were interrupted as Artemis clung to her even tighter. "Lucy!" She whimpered, and began crying again. "I thought they could beat him! B-But... he's too strong! No one could _ever_ defeat him- he's a monster!"

And Lucy knew Artemis was right. Even if it had been all of Fairy Tail's S-class mages fighting this one King in a group against him... they'd still be having as much trouble as Skylar, Kota, and Darrion were.

As Lucy began to feel tears in her eyes, she noticed something odd. Skylar, Kota, and Darrion were... in a group hug. Then, Kota pushed his way out of Darrion's grip. _Wait, what's he doing..._ Lucy began thinking, as she saw the King look stunned for a moment to see someone act so carelessly while he was about to execute them.

And before any of them realized it, Kota practically became one with the wind. He seemingly disappeared, blew past the King in a gust of 110 mile-per-hour wind, and reappeared in the air above Lucy and Artemis.

The winds surrounding him began to slow down, and he quickly lowered himself down to Artemis and Lucy's level.

Lucy gasped. She saw what he was holding.

He grinned at her. "Sorry about everything, Luce. I didn't mean to betray you like earlier..." He said, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. "So um, here ya go." He then tossed her gate keys at her.

Lucy just stared down at them in her lap, completely in shock.

"KOTA SILVERS, GET BACK HERE **_NOW_**!" The Demon King screamed, again making the castle shake with his yells.

"... He doesn't have to."

The King looked to see where the voice came from. Lucy was now standing now too far away from him, clutching her celestial spirit keys.

He let out an evil laugh. Just the sight of this young, weak, beat up girl made him almost die of laughter.

Artemis gasped, seeing that Lucy was no longer by her side. _How did she move away from me so fast?..._ "Lucy, don't!" She called out, now terribly worried. She couldn't handle losing anyone else today.

Lucy ignored Artemis's yells. She knew she had to do this, not just for her, but for Artemis too. She faced the powerful Demon King, the one person who she now hated the most for hurting such innocent people.

How could such a person torture his own daughter? And some of the only people in this world who she loved? How could he want to kill them just because they weren't able to complete just _one_ task? They'd still followed their master's commands. None of them deserved to die.

"You stupid, ignorant, foolish little girl. You're no different than Artemis. How could you _dare_ step up to me, you being such a weak and worthless piece of garbage?" He taunted, only making Lucy more angry. "My power far surpasses your own. In fact that is an understatement. Never in your pathetic life will you ever be able to lay so much as a scratch on me."

Lucy began to shake furiously, she had never felt this angry in her life; not even when her own father had practically proved he didn't love her. This was her revenge. "You... You're a terrible, sick excuse for a father!" She screamed out, now fully facing the Demon King.

He looked a bit taken aback by her outburst, but he didn't respond.

"You're a _horrible_ King! You're not even a real person; you're an evil being that possess no soul! ...Heh, maybe you really are a Demon. But these people here- your daughter, these slaves- they deserve better than this! They deserve their own freedom-" she began, as she slowly took out a golden Zodiac key, "-and they deserve to be away from YOU!" She screeched out, as she held the key in front of her. "**_Gate of the Twins, I open thee! GEMINI!_**"

The Demon King simply brushed her off, deciding she was nothing but a preaching, filthy, worthless child. "What are you gonna do, brat? Throw all your little keys at me and hope they hurt?"

Lucy didn't respond. She'd opened the gate of Gemini, and soon the two mini, blue little spirits appeared in front of her. "How can we help you, Lucy?" The two tiny, cute spirits asked her together.

At this, the Demon King burst out laughing. Just like his yells, his laughter echoed throughout the castle. "What the hell are those weak little things? Ugh, just the sight of you disgusts m-"

Before he could finish, the two spirits then transformed into an exact copy of Lucy.

He stares, baffled. Not just at the weird, peculiar sight of there now being two Lucys, but at the fact that the girl could try something so weak and feudal in an attempt to fight him. Just thinking about her dimness sickened him.

"WHAT. THE. FU-" Kota began, but Skylar quickly covered his mouth.

"What the heck! So now there's two of 'em?!" Darrion yelled out, also a bit surprised.

"Oh, _gross_!" Skylar whined as Kota began to nosebleed at the view.

His eyes were huge pink hearts- he looked like a crazed lunatic. "There's two Lucys! Hey, one of them is mine!" He called out, still nose bleeding.

Skylar shook his head. He couldn't believe he was actually friends with this idiot. "It must be to double her power." He explained calmly.

"Hmm? What do you suppose to do with two of yourself dear? I'm still going kill you for disrespecting me."

"Lucy, no! Please, get back here!" Artemis cried out again, terrified of what her father might do to Lucy.

Then, Lucy looked straight at the Demon King. She had a fierce look in her eye that thirsted for revenge, and for once in her life, the desire for death upon another.

Lucy smirked. It was time now. Revenge for her, revenge for Artemis, revenge for their friends. She looked at Gemini, and nodded. Gemini Lucy nodded back, understanding what they needed to do. Their hands locked together, and Lucy eerily began an ancient chant...

_"Survey the Heaven, Open the Heaven..._

_All the stars, far and wide..._

_Show me thy appearance..._

_With such shine._

_O Tetrabiblos..."_

As she began, everyone in the room gasped sharply. Darrion's jaw dropped. Kota's eye twitched. Skylar's eyes widened. Artemis smiled knowingly. And the Demon King watched in pure shock, pure amazement.

"This is..." Darrion whispered slowly.

"N-No, it can't be..." Kota breathed out.

"Wait... it is..." Skylar quietly stated.

"It's-" Artemis began.

"-IT'S THE LEGENDARY, ULTIMATE MAGIC OF THE STARS!" Darrion, Skylar, and Kota all yelled out at the same time.

Soon, everything surrounding them all disappeared. The castle walls were gone, along with every single object in the room. Only Lucy, the Demon King, Artemis, Skylar, Kota, and Darrion were seen. Surrounding them was nothing but a dark vision of space, all the planets of the galaxy, and all of the colorful constellations of Lucy's ecliptic zodiac keys.

"Lucy Heartfilia..." Artemis began dreamily. "She's the girl to possess the third Sacred Magic of the Sky."

"Y-You mean..." Darrion began.

Artemis nodded.

The two of them were thought to be the only ones in the world to currently possess one the Three Sacred Magics of the Sky. Darrion was the Sun, Artemis was the Moon. The Demon Country of Edolas had searched for decades for the girl with the Sacred Magic of the Stars, but could never find her. It was highly known in their world about the power of these three, for there had been countless stories recalling of past Sun, Moon, and Star wizards. They all knew what great, powerful magic they had and how only once every eight hundred eight-eight years, there appeared new chosen ones to obtain one of the Three Sacred Magics of the Sky.

_"I am the Ruler of the Stars... _

_Aspect became complete..._

_Open thy malevolent gate._

_O eighty-eight Stars of the Heaven..._

_Shine!_

**_URANO METRIA!_**"

With that, Lucy released her most powerful spell. Urano Metria, also known back in Fiore as the 'Ultimate Magic of the Stars'.

Upon being casted, orbs of glittering-golden light gathered around her and the Demon King. The Shooting Star lights then attacked with tremendous force, exploding upon contact with the Demon King. The impact was strong enough to rival the Demon King's own most powerful attack.

The vision of the dark sky, stars, and the planets slowly fade, and suddenly they were back in the castle.

The Demon King lay knocked out, twitching slightly.

"Just like our previous master Angel." Gemini Lucy remarked, before grinning, turning back to their original forms, and disappearing into the Spirit World.

"Thank you, Gemini..." Lucy whispered as they vanished.

Artemis can't help but shed another tear. But this was a tear of joy.

"A-Artemis!" Skylar called out, once he noticed her. He ran directly over to her, stepping over the Demon King in the process.

"Oh hey. How are you guys?" She asked, her voice now sounding quite normal.

Skylar, along with Kota and Darrion, just breathed a sigh of relief once they saw she wasn't hurt. Artemis breathed out happily too, once they got up to her.

Her father... was defeated. She had a feeling everything would be okay now.

But she was wrong. And soon they would all find out why.

"Hey, Lucy! Get over here!" Artemis called out, seeing the Celestial Spirit mage still standing over the Demon King.

"Coming." Lucy responded. Once she got over to her, Artemis attacked her with a hug.

"You idiot! Why did you do that?! He could have killed you!" She yelled out, clutching Lucy again tightly. "I-I... I though I'd lose you too..." She whimpered, as Lucy smiled down at the cute, younger girl.

"Don't worry. I'm here safe with you." Lucy told her softly.

Artemis sniffled. "But... thank you. So much. For everything."

While she clung on to her, Kota walked up to them. "Hey, that's not fair. You care more about _her_, the girl you'd been planning to murder this whole time? What about _us_? We almost died too y'know!" He whined, stomping his foot.

"Yeah! What about _us_?" Darrion echoed, and copied Kota's exact actions.

Kota smacked the back of his head. "Quit copying me."

As Artemis pulled away from Lucy and turned to look at her close-standing minions, she came face-to-face with Skylar.

As soon as she made eye contact, he lightly blushed and looked away.

"Skylar..." She began dreamily.

"Y-Yeah?"

She grinned at his cuteness. "Thanks so much for helping me with these two. Without you, they couldn't have done this. You really are special... and strong. I couldn't imagine a better leader."

His blush turned a shade deeper. "Oh... um, yeah... y-you're welcome, I guess." He sputtered, avoiding eye contact.

Lucy glanced over at Kota and Darrion. They were giggling like little girls. "They liiiiike each other!" Darrion squealed.

Lucy laughed a bit to herself. Darrion kind of reminded her of Happy.

Kota nodded. "Alright, Skylar, I give. You can have Artemis."

At this, the two mages froze. Artemis was speechless, and Skylar's jaw dropped.

"Uh, anyway..." Lucy began awkwardly, this little happening reminding her of whenever Happy said she and Natsu might like each other, "Artemis, what are you going to do now?"

Artemis looked down, and saw her father was still passed out. He wasn't dead though, and she didn't know how long it would be until he got up again and started a rampage. "Well, there was actually something I wanted to tell you guys..." She began nervously.

"Hm? What is it?"

Artemis continued to look down. "I... I've changed my mind about becoming Demon Queen."

Skylar, Kota, and Darrion were stunned. "Eh?!" They yelled out, utter disbelief written all over their cute faces.

"No, please don't get mad. It's just..." Artemis glanced at Lucy for support. Lucy simply nodded back and smiled sweetly, telling Artemis to go on. "I... I had only wanted to do it to please my father. I wanted to stand out from my older brothers and sisters... But now, you can understand why I see him as nothing but evil." She explained, hoping her three friends would understand.

Well, of course they would. And even if they didn't, they would still love and respect her as they always did. But, for as long as they could remember, Artemis's only goal in life was to become Demon Queen. But, seeing her father go so crazy with power was enough to change anyone's mind, and they understood that.

He'd wanted to kill her only three friends. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with her father, and now it was obvious.

"You know..." Lucy began quietly. "... I never loved my father. I didn't trust him either. Even when he died, I couldn't bring myself to care, or cry... I just... left some flowers at his grave."

Artemis nodded, she understood Lucy completely. And after hearing her story, she realized how she truly felt about her own father. She didn't love him either.

"Hey, mind telling us how _this_ here happened?" Kota asked after a few quiet moments, pointing in a circle between Lucy and Artemis.

They both looked at each other, and grinned. And Artemis knew she had made a new friend.

One that was _female_, for once. Thank God.

Then, right at that moment, a puff of smoke suddenly appeared in front of them all. The sight looked all-too-familiar to Artemis, and for some reason, she got a sick feeling in her stomach the second she saw it. _No... it couldn't be him..._ She began thinking, as her heart began to race.

The puff of smoke soon took the shape of a human. Or, to be more exact, the same shape of certain playboy, womanizing, lion Celestial Spirit.

"What the- LOKE!" Lucy yelled out, beyond surprised to see him at this moment.

Artemis gasped. Oh, great. So it _was_ him.

As soon as Loke turned to see Artemis, his usual, flirty attitude took over again. _Typical Loke_... Lucy thought as she saw him glance at Artemis.

"Artemis, my dear. It's been a while." He purred smoothly.

Artemis, though, was speechless again.

Then suddenly, there was a click in Lucy's mind. "Oh, yeah!" She remembered, and began to recall back when Loke had told her more about Artemis. "Didn't you guys used to have a thing for each other?"

Skylar and Kota froze. Darrion on the other hand giggled. "She's still mine though!" Darrion squealed, his love for Artemis never dying out.

Artemis ignored their outburts, and began to tear up again_. I can't believe how much I've cried today..._ She thought to herself. _I haven't cried this much since Mom left._

Lucy glared at Loke, and he took this as his cue to start explaining. "Well, um..." He began.

Then suddenly, Skylar and Kota cornered him into a wall. "Hey, you bastard! I thought I got rid of you!" Kota yelled angrily.

"Spirits can't be rid of." Loke responded back nonchalantly.

Skylar intimidatingly got his face close to Loke's. "Listen, cat boy. You ever do anything to hurt Artemis again and I swear I'll-"

"Hey, leave him alone!" Artemis called out, making Skylar and Kota flinch.

Loke grinned, and easily pushed past them.

Skylar and Kota stayed near the corner of the wall, pouting.

"Okay, now you guys have got some explaining to do. What's happened in the past between you two?" Lucy asked curiously.

Artemis sighed, and looked down. "Lucy... my mother was a Celestial Spirit wizard. She had Leo the Lion-" She paused to point at Loke, "-about twenty years ago."

_So if her mother had him two decades ago... how does Artemis know him so intimately?_... Lucy wondered to herself. _She wasn't even alive twenty years ago._

"Er, Artemis I think you forgot something." Skylar said, now standing on her left- Loke was on her right.

"Hm?" She began, and then quickly remembered. "Oh, yeah. It was twenty years ago in _Human_ years. If you go by our own Demon years, it was really only about two years ago." She briefly explained, making Lucy's jaw drop.

"W-... _What_?" Lucy almost shrieked.

Skylar crossed his arms. "It takes ten Human years for a Demon to age _one_ year."

"So basically..." Kota said, now appearing next to Lucy. "it also takes us ten Human years to mature in our minds what would normally take Humans just one year."

Lucy's amazed. "S-So... you only grow one year older looking in _ten_ years? And during those ten years, you only mature about one year older in Humans time?"

Artemis nodded. "Yup."

"That means..." Lucy turned to Artemis in horror. "What the?! You told me you're fifteen! That's in..."

"-Exactly. I'm fifteen in Demon years. So in Human years, I'm actually..." Artemis paused for a brief moment to multiply a few numbers in her head. "... I'm actually one hundred and fifty."

Lucy's mouth hung open in shock.

Kota grinned at Lucy, and put his arm over her shoulders. "Don't worry, we're still young. Most Demons live to be around eight hundred to one thousand years old."

Loke chuckled. "You don't even _want_ to know about Celestial Spirit years, trust me Luce."

After that, Loke and Artemis started talking about the time when they'd really known each other. Turns out, they had quite a past. Artemis said when she was thirteen (twenty years ago) she would always tell Loke her problems, and he always listened. He often made her feel better, what with her father issues, family problems, and the whole stressful Becoming-Demon-Queen thing.

At first, Artemis is surprised that he still remembers it all- down to the last detail. As they talk, the tension is let loose, and Lucy realizes every single one of them are allies now.

"But, all of you, I was thinking..." Loke said suddenly, disrupting Lucy's thoughts. He faced the four Demons, "You should really leave this place. Artemis, run away with your minions. It would be better that way, and safer."

Upon hearing this, she looks down. _Leave here? Well of course, Fiore Earthland isn't my home. Our real castle in still in Edolas. But, still... leave the castle forever? Is there even a point to staying there anymore?..._ Artemis felt as though she was stabbed in the heart. Leaving the empire would pretty much be saying goodbye to her past life. "Well... I..." She slowly begins, but then notices an odd look on Lucy's face.

Lucy had suddenly remembered something. Something big, something important. In fact, how _stupid_ was she to forget? "What the hell?! LOKE! WHERE ARE-"

Loke quickly covers her mouth. "Don't yell. You scream loud y'know." He complained.

It was then that Lucy noticed Skylar, Kota, and Darrion. They all had the same odd expression on their faces. Their skin as pale as ghosts, eyes wide with horror, and mouths hung open in disbelief. _Why them? Why NOW?._.. They all thought to themselves.

_This is gonna get awkward..._ Kota groaned to himself.

_Oh, perfect. Just perfect... Skylar_ thought sarcastically.

_Hmmm. I wonder what's gonna happen now?..._ Darrion wondered in his head.

Then Loke noticed them too, and removed his hand from Lucy's mouth. He followed their gaze, and once he saw what they did, his face was exactly the same as theirs was.

"Um, what's going on?" Lucy asked cautiously.

Then she felt something that practically made her jump out of her skin.

She'd felt a hand on her shoulder. From behind her. She couldn't see who it was that touched her.

_If it's the Demon King... I don't know what I'll do! How could we just stand around in here when we knew he was still simply passed out in this very room? We're so stupid!..._ Lucy thought in horror as she slowly turned around to see who was behind her.

And when she saw who it was, her jaw practically dropped to the floor. "N-N-N-" She sputtered, unable to form the name.

"-Lucy? What are you doing?" Natsu asked suspiciously.

Lucy was still in shock. And it didn't help that Erza, Gray, Wendy, Jellal, Mira, and Lisanna were all standing a few feet behind Natsu.

In fact, the surprise of simply their appearance made her fall over. _I was right about to ask Loke where they were when he covered my mouth!..._ she thought as she hit the cold, hard castle ground.

Natsu stared in shock as _Skylar_ and _Kota_ of all people quickly helped Lucy back up.

"Are they your enemies, Lucy-nee? I'll fight them!" Artemis cried out, somehow making Lucy chuckle a bit. Artemis was just too cute.

Jellal narrowed his eyes. "No. _You're_ the enemy."

Artemis looked surprised for a moment, then her mouth formed an _O_ in understanding. "Oh. I see. Well. This is awkward..."

Then, Natsu noticed Kota- who looked like he was trying to hide behind Darrion. "YOU!" Natsu shouted, pointing at Kota. "I'm gonna kill you!"

"Huh, wait! No, it's not what you think! I mean- HEY! Get away from meee!" Kota yelled out as he began running and Natsu started chasing him.

Kota could have used his Wind magic to make himself fly. But he chose not to. He was definitely not going to use _any_ magic against Natsu. Even Kota knew that Natsu deserved at least that- for the moment at least.

Lucy watched for a brief second as Kota ran around the group in large circles, Natsu chasing after him with a firing aura following him wherever he ran.

They honestly looked like they were playing tag.

As Natsu continued to chase Kota, Erza caught sight of Darrion. "HEY!" She suddenly yelled out.

Darrion began to quiver with fear. He was still scared of Erza's wrath even if he knew for a fact that he was actually more powerful than her.

"Don't look at me like that! I'VE STILL GOT A BONE TO PICK WITH YOU!" She screamed- he definitely annoyed her most of the three Demons. Like Natsu, she too left to chase off Darrion.

_Oh no, this is bad... If only they'd let me explain..._ Lucy panicked, before seeing Gray's face as he saw Skylar.

_Wow, really? They actually have grudges against all three of the Demons?..._ Lucy thought, as Gray stomped over to Skylar.

"Hey, you! We still have some unfinished business!" Gray yelled out, making Lucy remember back when they'd first seen Skylar. It was back at the river, and Gray was the one to approach him. They would've fought if Skylar hadn't ran off to find Kota and Darrion.

Lucy sighed. How could she explain this?

Then suddenly, Lucy felt smooth, pale arms wrap themselves around her shoulders. She glanced down, a noticed they belonged to a boy.

"Hey! What are you doing!" Artemis yelled out, her voice full of jealousy.

Skylar ignored her. "See? Is your Lucy resisting my hug at all? Nope. So, doesn't that prove we're not the enemies?" He asked, trying to be reasonable.

Gray flinched at the contact. "I-I guess...?"

Lucy began to feel uncomfortable, but hey, at least he really _wasn't_ the enemy anymore- or else she would've smacked him by now. She looked at her remaining Fairy Tail comrades, and knew she had to do something to show that she wasn't scared of him anymore. So while still being hugged by him, she smiled.

Bad idea.

"Get... your hands... off... OF MY LUCY!" Natsu screamed, completely forgetting about Kota and only focusing on what he saw Skylar doing.

Lucy yelped in surprise, and saw Skylar's eyes widen. She knew he wouldn't fight Natsu back, but she still needed to put an end to this already.

As she saw Natsu completely engulf in fire and blast straight at Skylar, she spread her arms out so she was shaped like _T_ and stood directly in front of him.

Right when Natsu realized he was about to impact on both Lucy and Skylar, he stopped as fast as he could. "Lucy, what are you doing? Get out of my way!"

Lucy shook her head. "No! Everyone, listen to me! These people are my _friends_." She admitted, making Natsu, Gray, and Erza's eyes widen in disbelief.

Erza was the first to recover. "Um, _what_?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Mira asked, stepping up to her. "Artemis and Lucy are friends now."

Lisanna nodded. "We could tell as soon as we saw them. But you idiots couldn't because you were blinded by your hatred for those Demons."

Jellal and Loke were standing next to each other, both crossing their arms. "I agree. Although I didn't get it at first either." Jellal admitted.

_"I_ got it at first, Mystogan." Wendy said cheerfully as she squeezed her way between Jellal and Loke.

Loke chuckled a bit, and faced his unintelligible comrades. "Sorry folks."

Natsu, Gray, and Erza all still looked in shock. They couldn't have been more surprised other than the time when they'd found out they'd accidentally wasted three whole months in the Spirit World during their training for the Grand Magic Games.

"B-B-But... HOW?!" Natsu yelled out, practically tripping over his own words.

Lucy looked down and smiled. "It's simple. They're not really evil."

Natsu, Gray, and Erza calmed down a bit. Even if they were still skeptical, they still trusted Lucy no matter what.

Natsu sighed a bit. "Whatever you say. You don't have to go into details, if you say they're good then they're good..."

Gray crossed his arms, and glared at Skylar. "But you and me are still gonna fight later." He grumbled.

Erza shot Darrion a death glare, who simply cowered in fear and hid behind Artemis.

Artemis pushed him away, though, and walked straight up to Natsu. "Please forgive me and the trouble I've caused." She said plainly.

Natsu shrugged. "Sure, kid. I'm always willing to forgive; not one to hold grudges." He explained nonchalantly.

She nodded, and stepped back to where Skylar, Kota, and Darrion stood.

"Oh yeah, so Artemis..." Loke began, and faced her as the commotion died down. "Would you still like to escape the Demon Country of Edolas?"

Artemis flinched a bit at the thought. _And forget the tournament? Forget everything I've ever known?..._ she began thinking.

"You could live peacefully in Fiore." Loke presses.

Artemis looked down for a moment, then eyed her three faithful minions.

Darrion grinned, and began jumping around with glee. "Yeah, we totally should! We could leave all the big meanies behind and be even more happy!"

Hearing this, Kota got a small smile on his face. "It would be for the best."

Skylar then looked Artemis straight in the eye, grabbed her shoulders, and said, "No matter what you choose, I'll always be by your side."

Artemis felt her heart skip a beat. His touch had sent shock waves through her body and made her knees feel weak. "S-Skylar..." She began, gently touching his arm.

He grinned, still staring into her beautiful lavender eyes. "I'll follow you to the ends of the world."

"Stalk-_errr_." Kota and Darrion whispered loudly.

Skylar instantly looked away from Artemis. "_What_ was that?"

"N-Nothing!" They sputtered in unison.

Artemis laughed, then faced the Fairy Tail mages in front of her.

All of them smiled at her, as if she had never been an enemy to them. It truly surprised her, that even after all she did to them, they still accepted her...

The one called Natsu grinned his huge trademark smile; one that was enough to make anyone feel welcome. "Join our guild." He told her simply.

For a moment, she's stunned. _Me, join the Fairy Tail guild?_... she thought, but soon warming up to the idea. "I'd-"

Before she can finish her sentence, they all begin to hear a loud scuffling noise.

"Uh, what was that?" Gray asked cautiously, as the deep moans grew louder.

Suddenly, Wendy and Lisanna shrieked. "KYAAA! WHAT IS THAT THING?!" They screamed in unison, as they pointed to an enormous, dark rising figure.

Natsu instantly realized what it was. He faced the three Demons, and yelled, "You _didn't_ slay the Demon?!"

"It's on our to-do list!" Kota shouted back.

Soon, the Demon King fully awakened. He saw that the intruders were now in the very same room as him, and that the slaves were still alive. _"Why, you little brats!"_ He bellowed, causing the castle to shake once again.

Before they can even move a muscle, he begins to take his true form. His full-fledged, monster Demon form.

Everyone gasped in shock; not even Artemis herself had seen her father angry enough to take his true Demon form.

The Demon King began to go on a rampage, destroying the walls of the castle.

Natsu punched his fists together. "Okay, what do we do now?"

Artemis looked at him like he was a crazed idiot. " 'what do we do'? I'll tell you: we RUN!" She yelled, but soon noticed that no one began to run. _Except_ for the white-haired girl and the younger blue-haired girl, Artemis realized.

The rest all stubbornly stood there, Natsu and Skylar even crossing their arms. "Guys! He's like a giant, he's almost as tall as the roof!" She yelled as pieces of the stone castle began falling. "There's no way we can destroy him!"

"I-I'm gonna have to agree with her- that thing could blow up this whole castle without breaking a sweat!" Lisanna cried out, now hiding behind Mira.

Erza faced her comrades, determination in her eye. "We have to defeat him. If we don't, he'll end up leaving the castle once it's destroyed and continue on with the nearby cities-such as Crocus, the capital where the Royal King of Fiore lives."

"I agree." Gray said quietly, looking down as his hair shaded his face. "That creature is almost identical to Deliora."

At that moment, everyone went silent. Most of them knew Gray's past with the demon Deliora, Gray's teacher Ur, and the fateful spell by the name of Iced Shell...

Then suddenly Erza, Jellal, Mira, and Loke prepared for battle. "We're gonna do this. It can be achieved, Gray. I promise." Erza told him confidently.

"Especially when we're helping." Kota said as he, Skylar, and Darrion joined up with the other Fairy Tail wizards.

"But-" Artemis began to protest.

"Nonsense. All of you remaining, run. _Now_. Get out of here as fast as you can-" Erza's voice cut off as an enormous piece of the stone castle nearly fell on top of her, "-we will take care of this. Now, GO!"

"Hey! We won't leave you guys!" Natsu shouted, as the Demon drew closer to them all.

"Shut up, Natsu! We'll be fine! I'll tell you one final time: start running _now_!" Erza commanded once again.

If anything scared him off, it was definitely Erza's wrath. Or at least, that was what Natsu had thought until he saw Lucy.

She was sobbing quietly, while Artemis was trying to comfort her.

Immediately, Natsu ran up to Lucy. For the moment, he forgot about the fifty-foot-tall Demon problem they were having. "Lucy! What's wrong? Why are you crying?" He asked in a soothing voice.

She was shaking in fear, trying to stop her tears. "I-I'm really scared. I used all my magic power to c-cast Urano Metria and now I've got nothing left. Th-there's nothing I can do to help anymore..."

"You... casted Urano Metria? Was that what knocked him out?" He asked, stunned at what great power and strength she had.

"Yes, a-and... Now I'm so scared of that beast that I can barely r-run..." She said as more tears began to fall.

Natsu took one look at the Demon, and knew it was strong enough to destroy anything. Some of his strongest comrades were now trying to fight it, and for the moment, they were holding him off pretty well.

He glanced back down at Lucy, who was still terrified. Well, even _he_ could admit, he was pretty damn scared of the thing too. And besides, he knew he had to help her. He had to lead her to safety before anything could hurt her. _If she gets hurt... I'll never forgive myself..._ he thought as he grabbed her hand. "Come on, Lucy! Let's get out of here!" He exclaimed with a grin.

He had faith in his comrades. He knew that together with their strength, they could defeat that evil beast. Just like when they were stuck in Skylar's barrier, with their combined power they were able to break free.

_Now..._ Natsu thought with a devilish grin as he began pulling Lucy by her hand,_ We just need to find our way out of this castle. It'll be fun, like a game..._

* * *

_ I won't let the past repeat itself..._ Gray thought to himself solemnly. _I won't let anything remotely like Deliora hurt anyone I care about..._

Gray once again stiffened at the sight of the beast- the one that looked all too much of the one that had taken his parents.

His parents, his amazing teacher Ur, and almost his best friend Lyon. _There's no way I'll let a Demon like that hurt the person who I care for the most..._ Gray thought as he loosened up a bit.

"Why are you still standing here? Gray, take the rest of the girls and run away!" Erza once again commanded as she requipped into another armor.

He soon snapped out of his thoughts, and looked to see who was remaining.

It was just Lisanna, Wendy, and Artemis. _Wait, WHAT? Where's Lucy and Natsu?!..._ he thought frantically, as he began glancing around for them.

"They're out in the halls." Artemis told him, almost as if she'd been reading his mind.

Gray calmed down a bit, and let out a deep breath. "Alright, whatever-" he began, as he felt more of the stone walls start to tumble down.

"Hey, everyone! Before I go, you can use this!" Wendy called out to the people in battle, and began to use her Sky Magic to enhance the powers of everyone in combat.

The people attempting to fight off the Demon- Erza, Jellal, Mira, Loke, Skylar, Kota, and Darrion all began glowing. They were all given the ability to fly with ease and their strength increased due to Wendy's magic.

They let out a silent thanks, and began fighting to their fullest.

"Quick, while the King's at a disadvantage! WE'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Artemis yelled to the people standing in front of her.

Gray looked over to Lisanna, who appeared to be absolutely terrified. Instantly, he felt the need to protect her. He _had_ to make sure she was okay... she was his best friend.

He cautiously walked up to her, and grabbed her trembling hand. His touch was cold but gentle, and Lisanna instantly looked up at him. "G-Gray-kun..." She whimpered in relief.

But he barely noticed her say anything. "LISANNA! C'MON, GIRL, LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!" He yelled out as he began pulling her so hard she almost tripped a few times.

Artemis looked over to Wendy, and beckoned her to follow her. "This way's the exit!" She said as she began running, Gray and Lisanna not too far behind.

Once they're out in the hall and away from the chaos of the battle, they all sigh in relief.

Lisanna glanced at Gray, who had stopped holding her hand. "Gray-kun..." She tried again, "... thanks."

He looked back at her, and grinned. "No problem, Lisanna-chan. I won't let that Demon kill anyone else I care about. Those people out there can take care of themselves, it's just that you-"

Lisanna's eyes instantly widened. "Hey! So you only saved me 'cause you think I'm weak!" She cried out, comedically flailing her arms all over the place in frustration.

Artemis and Wendy chuckled a bit, while Gray smiled at her cuteness. "Well... no. I didn't save you because I think you're weak. I did it because I really care about you." A teasing grin was still on his face.

She stopped moving for a moment once she noticed the sincerity in his navy eyes. "You... c-care about me..."

Artemis almost felt like teasing them for a moment, but then she noticed even the walls out in hallway were starting to crumble down. "Guys... we can't stay in this castle much longer. We... we'll die if we do!" She warned, and remembered another important aspect. "And _why_ isn't Lu-chan here?!"

Then Gray felt a tap on his shoulder. He instantly spun around, ready to beat up whatever Demon guard it could have been.

But instead he came face-to-face with Natsu and Lucy. "Took you guys long enough. When a Demon princess says to run, she means run." Natsu complained, since he and Lucy had been waiting out in the hallway for them for quite some time.

"You didn't leave right away either, idiot!" Gray snapped as he faced Natsu.

"Um, anyway..." Artemis began, ignoring their rivalry. "All of you, listen. There are three exits nearby. One of them is already blocked with the strongest Demon guards here. Our best bet is to go in pairs, separate, and each try the different exits. I don't know which one has the army, but only one pair will have to face them. Since this castle will probably collapse at any time, I need to make sure the majority of you are safe. So it will be better to save the time and split up." She explained calmly, hoping they would understand.

"B-But..." Wendy began, close to tears. "what if I end up having to face them? I... I'm weak, I can't-"

"Nonsense. I'll go with you. I could probably defeat them all- hey, stop with those tears! Remember, girl power here." Artemis exclaimed with a grin as she stopped Wendy's tears from forming again.

Wendy grinned up at her new idol, new-found confidence building up. "Yeah, girl power!"

Artemis and Wendy began talking a bit more, and Gray and Natsu eyed them uncomfortably. "You really think they should go alone, Natsu? They're the youngest ones here. They're also _girls_ so-"

"-Hey, man, come on. Artemis is actually one hundred and fifty, remember?! That chick _must_ be tough." Natsu retorted instantly.

Gray simply shrugged, flinching a bit as more of the castle tumbled down due to the huge battle going on in the enormous room over.

"You take Lisanna. I'll go with Lucy. Okay?" Natsu said, assuming Artemis and Wendy were now one of the pairs.

"Take good care of her..." Lucy said, eyeing Gray. "Make sure you protect her."

Gray nodded back stoically, and Lisanna couldn't help but blush.

"Okay everyone. Me and Wendy will head for the exit near the west corridor. Lucy and Natsu, run down those stairs over there and you'll find an exit after a long, narrow hallway. And you two..." Artemis said, glancing at Gray and Lisanna. "you shall go through the door ahead, make a left, go up a flight of stairs, turn right, head straight, walk in to the sixth door on your left, go down the spiral staircase, walk down the hallway on your right, open the middle door you find, cut through the kitchen, walk out the other side and you'll find the exit."

Natsu and Lucy nodded, and ran over to the stairs. Without another word, Artemis left to her destination with Wendy.

And that just left Gray and Lisanna, both in shock for a moment. "Did you... write all that down?" Lisanna asked cautiously.

"I blacked out after she said 'go through this door'..." Gray admitted nervously.

* * *

"Okay... I have a feeling this _isn't_ where we were supposed to end up." Lisanna grumbled a little while later.

Gray took in a deep breath, trying to ease the frustration. "Yeah... I don't think so either..." He agreed wearily.

The two of them had _tried_ to follow Artemis's lengthy directions, but somehow they wound up on a high balcony overlooking the nighttime forest.

Suddenly, Gray couldn't handle it anymore. "Ugh, this is so _unfair!_ Artemis gave the easiest directions to Natsu and Lucy-"

"-I'm gonna stop you right there." Lisanna whispered ominously, holding her arm in front of Gray's chest so he'd stop talking.

Her short white hair was shading over her normally cheerful blue eyes, giving her an eerie look that Gray had never seen before."Huh? All I said was 'Natsu and Lucy-' "

"-Exactly! Natsu and Lucy, Natsu and Lucy, Natsu and Lucy. It's _all_ about them, isn't it? They're practically CANON!" She screamed out angrily.

"Er, what?" Gray asked, confusion written all over his face.

"Forget that last part. But still, I am so SICK of them. Everyone says they should be a couple, or that they should get married, or that they like each other and it's just _so annoying!_" She ranted, now not even caring to see if Gray understood.

"I'm just so sick of_ everything!_ Sick of being jealous, sick of heartache, sick of wishing to be with someone who is impossible to be mine. I'm... just so tired of waiting, hoping, and wishing!" She shrieked, and still wasn't done with her rant. "WHY. DOESN'T. HE. LOVE. ME?!" She now looked like she was going crazy, punching holes in the stone castle wall beside her.

Gray sighed. He was sick of a lot of things too, but still not close to sick of Lisanna and her nut-case personality. "Lisanna...-chan, listen to me." He told her calmly, grabbing hold of her fist so she'd stop punching the wall.

Surprisingly, she listened. Her whole arm tensed up as she felt his icy touch, but she still didn't jerk away from him.

Gray looked her straight in the eye, and pulled her a little closer. "In life... we don't always get everything we want. When the time's right, you just have to move on. You have to accept your fate, and realize your destiny..." His voice was soft and comforting as he let his words heal her pain.

She was so stunned at first that she didn't respond. Gray chuckled a bit, she looked so cute like that. "So it's like... _fate_ controls who walks into your life, but you decide who you let walk out, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go."

Lisanna shivered a bit as the realization hit her like a freezing-cold ice glacier. She began saying, "So there are things in this life that we don't want to happen-"

"-But have to accept."

"Things we don't want to know-"

"-But have to learn."

"And people that we... _can't live without_...-"

"-...But have to let go."

After Gray finished off all her sentences, Lisanna began to realize how deep their bond had grown. They had first began talking as fellow stalkers- Gray for Lucy and Lisanna for Natsu.

Lisanna remembered the day when she'd accidentally bumped into Gray while they were both out watching Natsu and Lucy's "date". They had confessed their mutual feelings for different people and continued talking every day since then. They had laughed together, ranted together, and even cried together.

They shared their innermost feelings and thoughts, and by this point, Lisanna felt as though she could tell Gray _anything_.

She glances directly at him, and for once, truly _looks_ at him. Her eyes weren't as blinded by love for Natsu... now she realized that she thought Gray was beautiful. Sure he's not the cute, reckless pink-haired boy she fell in love with at a young age, but hey, maybe _true_ love was actually right in front of her this whole time.

_Maybe I was never jealous of Natsu and Lucy..._ she began thinking. _Maybe I was just jealous of their relationship._

She wanted someone who would say he loved her and show her that he cared about her. Gray had told her that he loved her company, he'd saved her and his passion was really getting to her.

_I guess I don't need to change to be like Lucy for someone like Natsu to love me..._ she thought to herself._ Gray likes me for me. And I won't ever apologize for who I am._

Suddenly, Lisanna fell to the balcony ground. Her thoughts had made her feel light-headed, and she was feeling a bit dizzy.

Gray crouched beside her, patting her back gently. She looked up to his handsome face, and touched it lightly.

.

.

.

He had never realized how beautiful she was.

Sure, she wasn't as stunningly gorgeous as Lucy, but she had that cute face that always made him want to keep her happy. He realized he cared about her more than anything, for she was his only _real_ best friend.

She would listen to his problems, and share her own and they would try to solve them together. Their new relationship felt like the strongest he'd ever had, possibly more than Ur or Lyon. And slowly, Gray and Lisanna began to realize it together.

As they stared at each other from the balcony's ground and listened to their racing heartbeats, they couldn't deny it any longer- they were in love.

Never had they known, never would they have ever _guessed_ that their _real_, true love had actually been there the whole time...

Lisanna quickly hugged Gray, and he squeezed her back tightly in response.

And yet, even though they were both hugging their second choice in love, they felt complete; as though their problems were now over. They had each other, no matter what, forever.

Every time they had a problem, they could always go to each other. And that was the kind of relationship that they knew they truly needed.

"Gray-kun..." Lisanna whispered, tears gathering in her eyes. "Never leave me for someone else."

He pulled away from her a bit, just to look directly at her. He gently wiped away her tears with his thumb, and smiled at her genuinely. "Even if I searched the world over... no one could ever compare to you."

Lisanna felt her heart throb, and a sting in her eyes. She tried not to let a tear fall as she simply hugged him tighter.

He stroked her soft hair, and rested his ice-cold cheek against her head._ I'll never, ever leave you, Lisanna..._ he thought passionately.

_I think I might really love you, Gray_... she pondered to herself.

After a few moments, Lisanna stood up.

"What's wrong?" Gray asked, noticing her quick movements.

She simply grinned, her mood now completely the opposite as it was before.

_Huh. Maybe she really is Bipolar_... Gray thought as he watched her skip up to a small, pointed piece of stone that had been broken off one of the castle walls.

Jagged stone in hand, she then hopped up to the wall Gray was now leaning against.

She proceeded to scrape words into the wall, carving them deep into the stone:

**_You're Interesting And You're Different And I Like That About You._**

As Gray read the words she left for him, he smiled to himself. Lisanna noticed his grin, and she let out a girly giggle. "You know..." She began thoughtfully after she finished giggling, "... I kind of feel bad for being so jealous of Natsu and Lucy-san's relationship."

Gray nodded a bit, guessing that now she was serious.

But, being her absolutely random, mood-swinging, unpredictable self, she wasn't. Not _too_ serious, of course.

She looked up into the sky, staring at the glittering night stars. "Natsu and Lucy! They can have each other! I hereby grant them permission to be together forever! YAAY~!"

Gray laughed a bit. Lisanna was so weird. And crazy. And funny. But maybe those were the things he liked about her.

She moved closer to the balcony's edge, and raised both hands to the sky as she continued to look up as high as she could. "NaLu forever!" Lisanna yelled out happily.

Gray threw her an odd look.

"What? It's a couple name. Just watch, it'll catch on." She told him stubbornly.

He grinned widely. "No. You mean GraLi forever."

Now it was Lisanna's turn to grin like an idiot. "Yeah! Forever and ever and ever! And... _ever_." She said as their hands linked together and they continued their search for the castle's exit.

_I swear on my life..._ Lisanna thought as her grin faded._ I'll never fall in love again 'cause I know next time it will kill me..._

_Gray Fullbuster is all I need._

* * *

Wendy stared up in front of her, unable to believe what she saw.

Artemis stood next to her, arms crossed and lips in a pout. "Well, Wendy-chan, I guess this is our chance to prove we're not weak."

Wendy let out a nervous laugh, trying to agree with her. "Heh, heh... y-yeah, I guess."

The two of them had previously turned a corner and expected to find an exit, but instead had stumbled upon an army of powerful Demon guards blocking the way out.

"Let's do this quick, okay?" Artemis hurried Wendy.

The younger girl threw her a pained look, as if she couldn't believe she was serious.

Artemis sighed, and looked straight ahead. The exit was completely surrounded- the guards were ready to fight them to their death.

They all laughed a bit as Artemis stepped forward... but instantly regretted it.

She simply reached out her hand, and a purple magic circle opened. Blasts of laser-like, bluish purple Moonlight Rays shot out, blowing up the army in seconds.

Wendy watched with wide eyes, and jaw dropped in horror.

Soon, Artemis turned back around to face her, and she jumped a bit in surprise.

"What?" Artemis questioned as Wendy calmed down. "You didn't even have to do anything." She pointed out as she walked over to the exit, stepping over dead bodies as she made her way through.

"Er, um-" Wendy began, trying to sound completely normal.

"You've got to be kidding me! DAMMIT." Artemis cursed as she realized the exit was locked from the outside. "We've got to find another way out. Let's head for the one downstairs, since I know for sure now that it'll be safe."

Wendy nodded back, and began following Artemis.

As they went back down the same hallway they'd first went through, they passed the battle scene that was still going on in the other room. The tall, enormous wall that had been blocking it earlier was now in pieces, and they could see everything.

They saw the Fairy Tail mages and the minions of Artemis nearly out of magic power, completely exhausted.

They had all tried their best- the battle ground was pretty much all in stone rubble and by the looks of it, they seemed to have won.

The King was just as tired as they were, and he seemed like he was about to collapse.

But Artemis knew that when he fell, he would only be knocked out again for an hour or so until his magic built up and he was healthy again. She knew that once he passed out, the other wizards who had fought long and hard to defeat him wouldn't have enough magic left to deliver the final blow to completely _end_ him.

Artemis felt her teeth clench with anger- her father was the most deceitful, unfair, cheating man she'd ever known. She knew that even if they defeated him, he would still go after them again. He wouldn't be able to accept his loss.

Without a warning to Wendy, Artemis then ran out to the battle ground. Erza and Jellal quickly noticed her, but for the moment didn't have the strength to speak up.

Artemis simply couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't handle seeing him, being related to him, or knowing after everyone's hard work that he was still _alive_.

She marched straight up to her magic-drained father, who was still breathing slightly as he now lay on the ground.

"A-Artemis..." He breathed out slowly, his voice showing how much in pain he was.

Instead of giving him a pity look, she simply glared at him. How many times had he beaten her, given her a dirty look once she woke up, and started to beat her again? Too many.

"No, father. I am not going to help you." She told him sharply, since she knew that was what he was probably going to say.

He'd always been strict on not letting anyone hurt his pride, and now here he was, lying on the castle ground giving his daughter a look that screamed _help me..._

"You were never a father to me. You're just a being of pure evil. I never loved you either..." Artemis told him coldly as a wicked grin began to spread over her face. "and I hope you rot in hell."

Without another word, she got in a casting stance, and let out her strongest Moon Magic spell to kill him once and for all...

And when it was confirmed that he was dead, silence fell upon the group.

Artemis was completely quiet, her expression unreadable. All she really felt was dark, stoic relief.

Even if Artemis wasn't affected by killing her evil beast of a father, Erza, Jellal, and Artemis's minions still felt a bit of sorrow.

Instantly, Artemis's slaves ran over to her.

While on the other side of the room, Erza almost felt like she was going to cry. "That poor girl..." she whispered sadly.

Jellal rubbed her back soothingly, trying to calm her. "Don't worry. She'll be just fine."

Erza looked up at him, her eyes moist with slight tears.

Once Jellal sees them, he wordlessly hugs her tight. "You're a great person, Erza."

She sniffles a bit, and returns the hug. "Jellal..." she says dreamily.

He pulls her away slightly, and gently wipes away a single tear. "Erza... th-there's something I've been wanting to tell you, f-for a while..." he began slowly, quietly.

At this, Erza raised an eyebrow. Jellal _never_ stutters. "Hmm? What is it?"

He looked down, unable to meet her eyes. "I... I think I'm in love with y-"

Before he could finish saying _in love with you_, Darrion runs up to them. "Hey, you guys! Artemis says we have to hurry and find another exit before the entire castle falls apart! If we don't find one fast, we'll DIE!" He yelled frantically.

"... Way to over-exaggerate, Darrion." Skylar told him plainly.

And so, all of the mages present fled the room. They began following Artemis, desperately searching for another exit before the walls tumbled down or another army of guards appeared.

* * *

"This way!" Lucy called out to Natsu, while she pointed down to a narrow stair case leading underground.

Natsu nodded and followed her, and they began cautiously walking down.

After all, there was a chance that they could come face-to-face with a bunch of evil Demon guards. Lucy knew Natsu could probably destroy them without a second thought, but they still had to be cautious about it.

As they walked down a creepy, narrow hallway, they soon noted that no army was present.

Lucy breathed out a sigh of relief, carelessly letting her guard down. "Oh, _good_. I'm glad we don't have to fight anyone." She muttered quietly.

"Yeah... so then that means either Gray and Lisanna or Artemis and Wendy have to fight them..." he pointed out slowly.

They both looked at each other, and chuckled a bit. "They can handle it." They said together, and shortly after began to laugh.

"Don't copy what I say." They both said in unison again, causing them to start laughing again.

But soon, Natsu's laugh was cut short. "Lucy, behind you!" He shouted, catching sight of a couple of armored Demon guards.

She quickly turned around, and saw the two men behind her. Her eyes widened and she screamed, just as one of them drew a metal, sharp spear and threw it straight at her.

Right when the long, sharp object was about to strike Lucy, Natsu jumped in front of her. The spear flew a bit past him but he paid no attention to it as he began to say,**_ "Fire Dragon's Roar!"_**

The impact of the spell was strong enough to burn through the metal in guards' armor and even leave them in piles of pitiful ashes.

Lucy felt cruel for laughing, but she did anyway. "Whoa! You like, burned them alive!" She shouted, surprised of her partner's strength in just his most simple attack.

"Yeah..." Natsu agreed as he slid down the castle wall to the ground.

Upon hearing his voice, Lucy turned around. And saw he'd collapsed to the castle floor. "Natsu!" She shrieked, seeing a look of pain on his face.

His arm was deeply cut, right where the spear had flew past him. It hadn't come in complete contact with his skin, but had harshly grazed him- leaving a horizontal cut that was now dripping blood.

He tried to cover it with his opposite hand, but the dark red liquid simply oozed through his fingers. "It's nothing..." he mumbled, avoiding Lucy's eyes.

She gasped a bit. "Don't even try that! Of _course_ it's something!" She argued, and kneeled down next to him.

"No, really, we can keep going-" He said, trying to get up but Lucy stopped him.

"Nuh uh, no way. Don't move." She commanded, and Natsu decided to just listen to her. But what he didn't expect to see was her begin to raise up her shirt... "Hey! W-What are you doing?!" He panicked, his eyes wide with surprise and a light blush on his cheeks.

She continued to raise it up a bit, ignoring his protests. It was only above her naval when she ripped off the bottom of it and proceeded to wrap it around his wound.

Once she tied it over the deep cut, it soon stopped bleeding. He looked up at her, and expected to see a sincere look on her face.

But he was wrong.

Her face was angered as she yelled, "Now, why the hell did you do that?! They could've actually gotten the aim right and made that damn spear strike you right in the heart!"

He simply smiled and looked down. "Why did I jump in front of you, is what you're asking..."

Lucy gave him a weird look. "Um, _yeah_. You could have gotten killed. Do you really think I would've liked that?" She began to feel relief flood through her body. "Why did you... do that..." She muttered stubbornly, but trailing off as she felt more relief that he was okay.

His smile widened a bit as he looked straight up, making her face him. "I did it because... you're Lucy." He said simply.

She glared at him in response. It was almost as if he was trying to embarrass her on purpose. "You're absolutely crazy, Natsu." She said, as a pink blush covered her face.

Natsu noticed her cute blush and chuckled a bit. He attempted to sit up as he said, "Haven't you realized how I feel about you?"

Lucy simply looked at him with a confused expression on her face. "Huh?"

Natsu sighed, and facepalmed. "Does it mean absolutely _nothing_ to you every time I do this?" And with his non-injured arm, he used his hand to gently grab the side of her face, and covered his lips over hers.

Lucy is so shocked at the action that she doesn't move, and he deepens the kiss.

Blushing like crazy, she soon came to her senses and pushed him away. "Natsu...! You just... k-kissed me...?!" She sounded as though she were in a daze.

He rolled his eyes. "Umm, yeah. It's happened a few times now."

Lucy was so worked up that she was trembling, her heart pounding hard against her chest. "W-Why did you do that?! You're acting like you're my boyfriend or something!"

He chuckled. "I _am_ your boyfriend."

Her face began to burn a bit more. "I-Idiot! You never even asked if I'd be your girlfriend...!"

He shrugged, looking away from her. "Well, wanna be my girlfriend?"

She simply punched his arm in response, and he pretended it hurt. "_Ouch_. That's my hurt arm..." He whimpered painfully.

Lucy instantly gasped, feeling bad for him. "I-I'm so sorry!"

Natsu just grinned.

"Why are you smiling?!" Lucy yelled once she saw it.

"I was kidding. That's not my injured arm."

Lucy felt her blood boil with anger. "You... you're just so... UGH!" She groaned, rubbing her temples.

He couldn't help but smile at her. "You're so cute."

"_Not_ when I'm angry." She retorted back.

"Well I think you are." He responded, grabbing her wrist. "You're cute no matter what."

She simply blushed furiously, crossed her arms, and looked down.

Even when pouting, Natsu still thought she looked adorable. "Lucy..." he begins quietly, instantly getting her attention with the softness of his voice. "... I really like you. A lot. And I was wondering..." he said, grabbing her waist and pulling her closer to him, "if you do too. Don't you like me, Lucy?"

.

.

.

Lucy still couldn't believe it. Natsu Dragneel, her partner and best friend, actually _like_ liked her? It... just seemed too impossible. And for her to like him back? Well, she herself didn't even know if she did or even _could_...

But then again, he was the one she met in Port Hargeon that fateful day.

He was her first friend in the real word.

He was the one who saved her from 'Salamander' and the other pirates when he barely even knew her.

He was the one who brought her to Fairy Tail.

He was the one who introduced her to Gray, Erza, Happy, Levy and all of her new friends and family at the guild.

He was the one who took her on her first mission.

He was the one who decided to make a team with her.

He was the one who caught her when she fell.

He was the one who saved her from Phantom Lord.

He was the one who always slept in her bed without permission.

He was the one who ran out to save her in Edolas even though he had no magic at the time.

He was the one who never left her side, even when Lisanna had come back after many years.

He was the one who'd stopped fighting to save her from her own villain.

He was the one to tell her to run away even when he couldn't move himself.

He was the one who was willing to learn how to dance from her for the ball.

He was the one who was able to sniff her out when she'd turned invisible.

He was the one who would always stop fighting when she asked him to stop.

He was the one to catch her when she fell from the stars.

He was the one who consoled her when she lost during the Grand Magic Games.

He was always the one to come and save her.

He was the one who started it all.

Without him, she wouldn't have the crazy, lovable life she did now. Yes, it was obvious. This time, it had been her turn to be the dense, low-minded one. Natsu had long since realized his feelings, and she was just barely realizing her own.

She looked directly at him- he was now casually sitting across from her with his arms folded behind his head, his back against the wall.

"It's time to go now, Lucy." He said simply, and got up. He begins to lead the way out, when he feels her arm on his shoulder.

He turned around, not knowing what to expect.

She then tugged him down to her face, and slowly pressed her lips against his. The kiss was short and sweet, probably the first she'd ever (soberly!) initiated herself. And when the kiss was over, she quickly looked away to avoid his eyes.

Her face was flushed and heart racing even more than she had ever felt it. "You're an idiot, Natsu... b-but, I love you." She sputtered, blushing even more. When she finally got the courage to look up, Natsu was grinning at her.

Before she could say anything else, he had already cupped her face and leaned down to capture her lips once more. The kiss was longer, more passionate, and left Lucy's mind swirling all while her knees went weak. Slowly, he opened his mouth a bit and touched his tongue to her lips. She felt goosebumps all over as she parted her lips and felt his warm tongue slip into her mouth. She had never felt this much pleasure in her lifetime.

She was panting when Natsu broke the kiss, and still had the butterfly feeling in her stomach. "Now, I'll ask again..." he began with a devilish grin. "Want to be my girlfriend?"

Lucy looked down and pouted. "Of course I do, idiot..." she mumbled stubbornly.

His grin widened just as the walls began crumbling around them- the castle was going to collapse any minute now.

"We have to go now." He says, and grabs her hand. He begins leading her out of the dark castle to the exit when she interlocks her fingers with his, and smiles gleefully.

As they reach the door, Natsu doesn't let go of her hand. "I love you, Lucy..." he says with a smile as he opens the door for her.

* * *

Lucy looked around the guild again, and sighed. Once again, all her friends had left her during one of Fairy Tail's huge parties to go dance with the boys.

For a moment, Lucy watched them all. Erza was dancing rather gracefully with Jellal, Levy was with Gajeel again, Mira was forcing Freed to dance, Lisanna was shoving Gray over to the dance floor, Darrion was trying to get Wendy away from Romeo, while Kota grabbed Cana and asked for a dance.

Lucy put her head down on the table, and eyed Artemis. Loke (who had come from the Spirit World without Lucy telling him to) and Skylar were arguing over who should get to dance with Artemis, while she just rolled her eyes and walked over to the bar.

Lucy began to remember what had happened the last time something like this was going on. Her drink had been accidentally spiked with alcohol and Natsu had came up to her-

"Hey there, Lucy. How are you?" A voice asked, interrupting her thoughts.

She looked up to where the voice had come from, and her eyes widened a bit. "_Lyon?_ What are you doing here?" She asked with a bit of surprise.

Lyon grinned sheepishly. "I'm just visiting from Lamia Scale. I wanted to say hi to a few people..." He said as his eyes wandered to Juvia, who was standing next to him and blushing. "Anyway, why are you alone?"

Lucy smiled politely. "Oh, I'm just waiting for Natsu."

"Well that's great." He said, and eyed Juvia again. "I'll be going now. See you, Lucy." He then gently grabbed Juvia's hand. "Shall we be off, Juvia-chan? Let's have a dance~" He then led her over to the dance floor despite her small protests.

Lucy watched them leave, and couldn't help but think about how adorable they looked together. _Lyon and Juvia would make such a good couple..._ she thought to herself happily.

Then suddenly, she felt a warm presence near her. "Here's your drink, Lucy." Natsu said as he sat down next to her and handed her the drink.

He began to sip his and Lucy looked down at the familiar drink in her hand. "This one isn't spiked with liquor again, is it?" She asked jokingly.

He laughed a bit, and pulled her into his lap. "Nope. Happy's too busy with Carla to do anything like that tonight."

Lucy gasped a bit. "Oh, I am so going to kill him..." She grumbled to herself, then noticed Natsu wrap his arms around her waist and make her face him.

"N-Natsu... this looks wrong..." She whispered, as she sat in his lap while face-to-face with him.

"Who cares..." He mumbles as he begins to lay kisses down her neck.

She begins to blush like crazy, but is only comforted by the sweet touch of his lips against her skin. As he nuzzled his warm face into the crook of her neck, she melts into his embrace. "This... is going to take some getting used to." She mumbled as he began to gently run his pointed teeth against her neck. "You know, us being together..." She mumbled again awkwardly.

"Don't worry..." He breathed out, and licked her throat. "It'll be fun. We have _forever_ to get used to it."

Lucy repeated the word 'forever' in her mind. _Forever? Does he mean it?_... she wasn't quite troubled by the thought, more like excited. "Yeah. We have forever." She agreed quietly.

They were partners for life, friends for all eternity, and true love for the rest of forever. Both Natsu and Lucy understood that.

_I guess what they say is true..._ Lucy began thinking as she pulled Natsu away from her neck and began to kiss his lips_, ...that the most burning, passionate love can only exist deep within the Heart of the Fire Dragon._


	11. Final Note: Sequel?

**_Final Note: Sequel?_**

* * *

Ahh yes, it's finally over! xD I really hope you liked the ending to this story. :') Anyway, I'm just here to tell you guys I've decided to write another NaLu story, but with Artemis & the other Demons as members of Fairy Tail! (= LOL but it's not quite a sequel to this fic, since Natsu and Lucy have to start over as just being friends in the beginning... and this time, I won't put so much GraLu O.o But still, NO GRUVIA! So don't even ask.

After I finish this next story I'm writing though, I might write a fanfic or 2 about the Natsu x Lucy x Gray love triangle! ;) I just LOVE that thing. Anyway the stories will both be about Natsu's and Gray's fight for Lucy, but in different ways (themes)! One will end with NaLu and the other with GraLu. :D I won't say which ones will though, until the first one comes out ;D.

So I'll put up a preview for my next NaLu fanfic sometime... don't know when but it'll be published eventually! xD

I also wanted to thank some of my reviewers who kept me going throughout writing this story. They would be: symmetryiseverything, shortypink, and ZeldaWithAShotgun. You guys are amazing! (=

And another thing. If you either loved or hated my OC's in this story, can you tell me? (PM or review on this) So I can know if I really should put them in my next story or not. Thanks again~ . . . . . .

. . . . . . well this was fun. I won't forget all the people who followed, favorited, and reviewed this: my first fanfiction ever! Now, ON TO THE NEXT ONE.

Alright well for now, I'll just be saying sayonara! ~ :D

- CelineFullbuster

(Thanks For Reading. It Really Means A Lot To Me)


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